The Lost Princess
by jontargaryens
Summary: "Your princess will be locked away for many, many years, but she can be saved. A brave hero, it's what she needs. And said hero, shall give her a true love's kiss, and that way her curse will be finally broken." The last thing Killian Jones had expected to happen when he rescued the princess, was that he would actually end up falling in love with her. CS AU.
1. Prologue: The Tale

**Prologue. The Tale.**

Once upon a time, in an enchanted forest, a beautiful baby was born out of true love. Her parents, Snow White and Prince Charming, were beyond happiness. The little girl, whom they named Emma, spent her first years filled with love and affection, for she wasn't just loved by her parents, but by the whole kingdom. And finally, things were just as they should be. Good had once more proven to be stronger than evil.

However, there was one person in the kingdom that didn't share the bliss that the couple felt, in fact, she was disgusted by it. The Evil Queen. For years, nothing was heard of her, and the Charmings allowed themselves to believe that maybe Regina had gotten over her thirst of revenge over Snow White. Maybe, indeed they were finally being able to live happily ever after. But oh, how wrong they were.

Emma was only eight years old by the time Charming and Snow saw her for the last time. With her blonde locks and greenish eyes, and the warm smile she would always offer those around her, it was clear the girl would grow up to be as beautiful as her mother, and with a heart as pure as hers too. One night, without a trace, the princess disappeared. They looked for her all around the castle, all around the nearby lands; but they already knew very well they wouldn't find her that easily. They didn't need any confirmation, they knew who had taken her.

Desperate, they went looking for the only person who could tell them something – _anything_ – about her daughter's whereabouts: Rumplestilskin.

"Your daughter is very much alive, and far, far away from here!" From behind the cells of his prison, he spoke to them between laughs. "You will find her indeed, but getting her out of her tower? That shall not be an easy task, for she is guarded by a terrible beast! And I warn you, the child has been cursed, and when she turns twenty-eight... The girl will stop existing."

In that moment, his laughter became louder than ever.

"But worry not, even the strongest curses have their flaws. Your princess will be locked away for many, many years, but she can be saved. A brave hero, it's what she needs. One who's smart enough to outwit the Evil Queen. And said hero, shall give her a true love's kiss, that way the queen's plans will be ended once and for all."

Rumplestilskin words were true. Snow and Charming spoke to every nearby kingdom, every possible suitor for their daughter, so they would look for the lost princess. They searched all around the Enchanted Forest, until they finally found the tower. Many weren't able to get in, and those who did, no matter how much of a great warrior they were, they stood no chance against the beast that guarded the tower.

And so, years passed by, and Snow White and Charming weren't able to do anything more than watch as their little girl ran out of time, trying to remain hopeful that someday someone, whoever they were, would save their daughter and bring her back to them.

* * *

Taking a sip from his dear bottle of rum, the pirate stared at his surroundings, wondering what did the pub had to offer him that night. Plenty of times he would only drink his demons away from his mind, some other times he would drink himself unconscious. And there were those lucky days, he would get some more action and meet a lady he could satisfy his needs with.

It seemed as if the only thing he would be doing that day, would be to drink as much rum as he could.

His crewmates seemed to be already affected by their drinks, their drunken laughs being the more prominent noise at the place. Killian, however, still had a few drinks left before he could share the bliss his mates were feeling.

"So..." One of them began speaking slowly. With his wrinkled skin and a beard extremely white, he was the oldest one in the Captain's crew. "A story reached my old ears lately. And not any story, mates, a fine one. King's offering a big reward. Oh yes, all the gold any of you lads could ever dream of having will be given to the one who gets him the princess that shall marry his son."

Killian couldn't help but to let out a snort. _Not that same story once again..._

"Honestly, Williams, if you're going to tell a story, make sure it isn't one that everybody in this kingdom knows. Ever since our feet landed in this place four days ago, it's been the only thing I've heard people talk about," the pirate spoke, eyes still away from the table.

The old man laughed.

"Believe me, Captain, you would be far more interested in the story, if you'd actually let me speak of it fully."

Rolling his eyes, he gave the sailor a somewhat sarcastic smile. "I'm all ears."

"More than nineteen years ago, the princess was taken to a tower very far away from her home by a very evil witch. Said witch cursed her, and it is said that said curse was that once twenty years passed, the princess would perish, unless the noble guy who rescues her gives her a true love's kiss... Do the math, Captain, and you'll see that the lass hasn't got much time left. Her folks are desperate, and the reward they'll give to the prince that saves her with his kiss, will be far greater than the one the king and his son are offering to the one who gets the princess out of the tower."

Indeed the information was beginning to draw Killian's attention, and his eyebrows raised with curiosity. He took another sip of his drink before speaking again.

"So, let's get this straight: Handling the princess over to the prince can make you rich, and the prince as well will become even richer by kissing said princess. How come the prince hasn't gone to find her himself? Why is he paying people to do the work for him? And the biggest question, how come no one has gotten to her by now, knowing they'll be very well awarded?"

In that moment, Killian came to notice that for the first time that night, the entire table had fallen in silence, not wanting to miss out any word that would come off from the elder's mouth.

"Well, the thing is that in nearly two decades, half of the people that have gotten there, claim there actually is no way of entering the tower." Williams answered.

"And the other half?" One of the sailors broke into the conversation, voice filled with curiosity.

"Those who figured out how to get in, never got out of there alive, for there's a beast protecting the tower." There was an amused look on the man's face. "You seem quite interested now, Hook, are you thinking about taking that reward for yourself?"

Killian let out a chuckle at his question.

"Not looking for any rewards. I've stolen plenty of gold my entire life, and I can continue doing so. There's no need to do someone's dirty work just to put some coins in my pockets."

"Do you have any idea of who this princess is?"

Actually, every time that the pirate had heard the tale of the lost princess locked away in a tower, he had never gotten to learn the princess' name, nor where did she came from.

"Should I?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Who says gold has to be your reward? The lass is Princess Emma, daughter of King David and Snow White."

"So...?" asked Killian, not very sure about where the conversation was heading to. "Are those names supposed to ring any bells?"

"They've done their best to remain quiet about it, but if you know the right people, like I do, you'll learn that for more than twenty years, they've had the man you've been wanting to kill for nearly two centuries locked up." Williams smiled.

There was no need to speak his name, there was no way Killian wouldn't know who Williams was referring to. He felt a tingling sensation in where his left hand once used to be. It was a funny thing how after all those years, the mention of Rumplestilskin briefly brought back the ghost of his lost hand.

"The crocodile." He pronounced, voice darkened by the hatred he had been carrying for many, many years. "That cannot be. How can someone imprison the Dark One?"

"Oh, but they did. A bit of Squid Ink to paralyze him, and there you have it." Killian couldn't help but wonder how the old man knew all of that stuff. "And if you save the girl..."

"They become in debt with me." Killian finished his sentence, eyes widening and glistening with the idea of finally getting a chance to get his revenge. He didn't have to think much about it. Facing a monster in exchange of finding the Dark One and getting his revenge? He could handle that. When it came to his revenge, Hook had never feared dying.

He bent over the table, smirk widening as he got as close as he could to the sailor.

"So, tell me, Williams, where can I find this princess?"


	2. Chapter 1: The Tower

**A/N: Thank you all of you who have already followed and favorited this story. Since yesterday I only posted the prologue, I decided to post the first chapter today. From now on, I'll try my best to post once or twice a week. Feedback is very much appreciated!**

 **Chapter 1. The Tower.**

To find the tower had been a quite easy task.

The old Williams told him everything he knew about the princess' whereabouts -Killian was beginning to wonder if the man did indeed know everything-; Williams' indications didn't look to be complicated at all. With the Jolly Roger at her fullest speed, they would reach the port within a couple of days. From there, all he had to do was ride towards wherever direction the tower happened to be.

"Ride towards the northeast, through the woods." Williams had told him, as they got down from the ship side by side. "And if my old memory doesn't fail me, I was told three days of traveling on horse would be just enough to get there."

Killian stopped walking for a moment, turning around to watch the old man.

"Thank you for telling me all of this. Make sure my ship is well kept during my absence."

The man laughed. "You can count on that. Let's just pray you actually do get back."

"You should know this already: I'm not an easy kill." Giving him a couple of pats on the back, Killian laughed. And that way, he left him and the ship behind.

He had to get everything ready to leave first time in the morning. Killian didn't doubt that he wasn't the only one going after the princess, and for that he couldn't allow himself take any time longer than he actually should.

The first thing he did was to get provisions. He exchanged a small bag of coins for enough food for the whole trip, as well for some couple of essential things when it came to be heading towards a journey through the woods- among those was enough rum for him to drink throughout the entire adventure.

By nightfall the pirate looked for a place to sleep, wanting to be as rested as possible for the trip; possibly that would be the last time this week he would sleep in a bed. And when the sun rose in the morning, the pirate tied his bag of supplies on a horse and began heading to the woods.

He felt a little out of place, the sweet swing of the waves against his beloved Jolly Roger replaced by the compass of the trotting horse. It was a different journey, moreover, since he was actually on his way to perform a somewhat noble task. Who would have ever thought that the fearsome Captain Hook would end up going to save a princess? The end justifies the means, and his revenge was worth going through this heroic quest.

If it was not enough with having to travel without any company, his surroundings did indeed happen to make his journey even less stimulating. If only there were something around him; a sky which look up to, an animal, or even a field of bloody flowers. However, all he saw was trees, so high he could not see beyond the green leaves, all of them so similar that the only thing left was for him to beg not to be going in circles.

At night, during his time to rest, Killian could not help but wonder what the story behind the princess was. What would he find in that tower? What kind of beast would he face? Claws, teeth, some kind of great and terrible creature was what he had imagined. He might not be the best warrior enchanted forest, but he happened to be pretty fast. And he knew that when facing a wild beast, often the things that gave advantage would be having quick reflexes and speed.

But something told him that the beast had to be much faster than him.

* * *

Passing the third day of his trip, the sea of trees finally came to an end, and after spending days with leaves as protection for a second Killian had to put his hand over his eyes, protecting them from sunshine. The glade was spacious, with grass everywhere he looked, and right in the middle was the tower, which seemed to be much taller than the trees.

"Well, bloody hell."

With a leap, he got off his horse, and tied it to the trunk of a nearby tree. Pulling an apple out of his bag, he cut it in half. Chewing one half, he fed the other to the horse.

"There you go, lass." He told her, petting her carefully.

He went up to the tower. Now that he was closer to it, it looked even higher than before. It was made of stone, most of them mossy. From where he stood, all he could see were the stones, no entrances or windows anywhere to be seen. He began to surround the structure, hoping to find some kind of door, but as he kept walking he realized that what the old Williams had told him had been true.

It seemed there was no way to get inside the tower. There was no door, but Killian knew better than that. After all, half of those who came to the tower, failed to enter. However, the other half had entered indeed -and had been eaten by the beast-, and Killian would be part of that half – minus the whole 'being eaten by a terrible beast' part. There had to be some sort of hidden entrance, and he was going to find it.

First he gave a few laps around the tower, hoping to see something that he may have missed the first time, a camouflaged door perhaps, or a lever that would make a secret entrance appear. He found nothing, however. Then he circled tower, with his good hand touching through each stone that conformed the walls, trying to notice if the texture of some of them happened to be different, thinking that perhaps this was a case of a hidden magic door, that maybe touching the rocks in a given pattern, the door would appear before his eyes. If that happened to be the actual answer, Killian did not find out. Finally, he tried to check the ground around the tower, thinking of an underground entrance. That didn't work out, either.

He looked for the entrance for maybe couple of hours until no more ideas came to his mind, and he dropped to the floor. Pulling his bottle of rum out from his leather jacket, he took a sip. _How I can rescue the princess if there isn't a bloody entrance?_

 _Chirp. Chirp._

Killian took another sip, thinking perhaps this whole deal of rescuing damsels in distress was definitely not his thing.

 _Chirp. Chirp._

One more sip. He'd have to look for another way to get his revenge.

 _Chirp! Chirp!_

"Bloody birds! Can't you let a man drink his bloody drink peacefully?" Killian exclaimed as he stood up, turning around to where the sound came from.

The bird, small and black-feathered, was about three meters above his head, standing in what could be...

The pirate bent down, searching with his eyes a small stone he could use. Once he found one, he got up and pointed a little higher to where the bird was, in that mossy spot that seemed to be a bit more sunken than the rest of the wall.

The bird flew away, and Killian felt encouraged as he heard the thump of the stone hitting glass. A window.

He ran to the horse, recalling that he had brought a rope with him. Pulling it out of the bag, he tied it to his waist. _Perfect._

Killian went to where the window was, and stared at the stones that would serve him as a road towards the window. He looked down at his left arm, and pressed his lips against his hook.

"Don't you dare fail me today." He whispered, and with a deep breath, he began climbing.

He was thankful that the tower was made of irregular stones, and they left enough space between themselves for him to place his three good limbs, and his hook. He had already risen halfway through the tower when one of his feet took a misstep, and if it wasn't for the steady grip of his hook, he would've fallen down. _No, it never failed him._

After several minutes climbing, finally he was facing the window. He was holding on with the help of his feet and his hook, which was clinging onto a stone above his head. With his other hand, he did his best to clean some of the moss that covered the glass. That window was not very big but it was enough so he could enter. He also noticed that the glass was intact; those who had entered the tower previously had not gotten through there.

Putting his right hand next to his hook, to exchange hands, he turned his face around to protect it from what he was about to do, and hit the window with his hook. At the first blow the glass began to crack, and at the second one it broke in hundreds of pieces.

Cleaning the shards of glass that were left on the surface, he peered through the gap that he had just opened. The floor was close enough to only give a small jump from the window, so Killian guessed he was maybe in a second or third floor. This room was completely empty, and looked a little dark, with nothing but stairs and what appeared to be a couple of skeletons. _Nice._

However, he wasn't able to see or hear anything that indicated that he had the beast close to him. In fact, the tower seemed peaceful, in complete silence.

He sat on the surface of the window, and untied the rope around his waist. Looking at the wall, he tied one end to a couple of stones that stood out. That would work perfectly so he and the princess could leave the tower. Then, Killian jumped out from the window, and the sound that his feet made as they hit the stone floor, made his heart drop to his feet. He remained still for several minutes, hand on his sword waiting for the monster to come at any time. But again, it seemed that the only sound in the tower was the one of his own breathing.

He climbed the stairs as slowly and quietly as he could. Each floor was exactly like the previous one, empty and gray and dark. Something that caught his eye were the walls: marked with what looked like claws. There had actually been a beast in the tower, possibly a furious one. However, the more up he went, he began to doubt that the monster really was there. Everything was so quiet, that Killian was almost certain to be alone in that tower. Even the idea came to his head that maybe someone had already beat him, they had come before him, killed the terrible beast and taken the princess, along with his opportunity of getting his revenge against the crocodile, very far away from him.

 _There is only one way to find out_ , he thought as he followed up on that ladder that seemed to never end.

* * *

Killian felt as if it had taken him years to finally reach the final floor. His first impression was that it was... different. It was still gray and dark, but despite the dustiness it seemed to have more life than all of the other floors before. He noticed a closet, a tub and a mirror; he also noticed there was a bookstand. Walking up to it, he noticed they were tales for children. She probably hadn't used them in many years, since they were covered in a thick layer of dust. A lot of them seemed to have been ripped apart. There were marks on the walls as well in this room, but these were not claws; they were days. And as he stared at what probably happened to be nearly twenty years of marking days in the walls, the pirate could not help feeling sorry for the princess.

And as he kept walking he saw, at the end of the room, a bed. And lying on the bed, was a woman of blond curls, sleeping soundly.


	3. Chapter 2: Swan

**Chapter 2. Swan.**

Killian couldn't help but to stare at her. He didn't know what he had been expecting, but it definitely hadn't been this. Fair skin, rosy lips, high cheekbones and long and blonde hair, somewhat tousled. She was a true beauty. By the way she was sleeping, so soundly at such a late hour, he wondered if the woman had actually slept at all during the night. Her face seemed peaceful, her dreams probably taking her to a place far away from that tower, and he was tempted to let her sleep for a little longer. However, it didn't seem to be a good option to waste time standing there, doing nothing more than watching the princess sleep.

"Wake up, love." He spoke softly, yet the princess didn't even move one bit. "Hey."

He reached his left hand to her shoulder, giving her a soft shake.

The woman rose up almost immediately, startled. Breaking her contact with Killian, she backed away from him, until her back was pressed against the wall. Her eyes, green he noticed, were wide open. The pirate wasn't sure if the girl's look was one of surprise, or of fear.

She stared right at him, blinking a couple of times as she looked at him up and down. Killian saw no happiness in her face, something he had expected to see in someone who was just being rescued. But then, as he noticed fright and confusion on her face, he realized she probably did not understand what was happening.

"What time is it?" Those were the only words she spoke after a few minutes of staring at him.

The words shocked Killian, whose face now looked just as confused as the woman's. Out of all of the things she could ask him, she decided to ask the time?

He began to wonder if all of those years of isolation had taken its toll on her mental health.

"Odd thing to ask right now, isn't it?" He replied in a puzzled tone, hand reaching to scratch behind his ear. "A couple of hours past noon, perhaps."

The princess' jaw dropped.

"How did you get in here then?" She seemed to be even more confused.

"I didn't find the door, so I went through the window, of course." Killian's lips curved slightly upwards, finding amusing the fact that Emma's face had went from confusion to astonishment.

"Through... Through the window, for god's sake." The woman brought her hands to her head, unbelieving. She looked at him. "You just decided to sneak through the window, and here you are!"

"Take it easy, love." The pirate spoke. "If I'm the only one who's gotten through there, how did the others get in?"

Emma's eyes locked into his. She stared at him as if the answer was a really obvious one.

"The door is enchanted. It only appears at midnight.

Killian frowned, starting to connect the dots.

"And the beast...?"

"It appears and disappears at the same time that the door does." She quickly spoke, without faltering, as if she knew those words by memory.

It took a few moments for Killian to fully process the information, and when he was sure he had fully understood, he couldn't help but let out a loud laugh escape his lips. That laugh continued on until tears were actually coming out from his eyes.

Emma stared at him with bewilderment. "What's so funny?"

It took the pirate a couple of seconds to regain his composure enough to answer.

"Hundreds of people have come looking for you for nearly twenty years," he spoke a little breathless, still wiping a couple of tears from his eyes. "All I've heard is how everyone claims how impossible it is to enter the oh-so-big-and-terrible tower, and how impossible it is to defeat the even bigger and more terrible beast. And all I had to do was come here, and climb through the bloody window."

He shook with laughter once more. However, Emma's face was deadly serious.

"You mean, hundreds of people have died because of me," she spoke abruptly, glaring at him.

Killian couldn't help but smile at her.

"Sorry, love, it was too good to not to laugh at," he reached out his hand to help her get out of the bed. "And now, don't stare at me like that. After all, I am the one who's rescuing you."

The blonde's look showed she was doubting to take his hand for a couple of seconds, but then she accepted his help, getting up on her feet.

"Well, you are right about that..." It took her some moments to speak the words, but Killian noticed them true. "Thank you. Now, can I be alone for a few minutes?"

Killian raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"Putting on something more fitting."

He looked at her clothes. She had a blue nightgown that reached almost to her ankles, and was barefoot.

"It will only be a couple of minutes," she added. "It's not like the beast will be coming anytime soon."

Killian nodded. "Aye, love, I'll wait outside."

* * *

When she came out of the room, she was wearing some leather boots and a white low cut dress. On top of it, a hood, white as well. As he stared at her form, Killian couldn't help thinking that she seemed healthy, something he had not quite expected. She looked strong, perhaps her eyes seemed a bit sunken, surrounded by dark circles, but she didn't seem to be malnourished.

As Killian analyzed her new costume, his eyes for a moment settled on the skin of her chest that was uncovered- she was way prettier than what he had originally imagined.

"A swan?" He asked, curious.

The princess' hand immediately shot up to lay on top of the necklace.

"It's my favorite bird. My parents gave it to me before..."

Her eyes filled with sadness, probably at the memory of her parents.

"Seems to fit you, Swan." Her eyes shot up to his face, the glimpse of a smile appearing on her face at the nickname he had given her. "Surely there is nothing you want to bring with you, is there?"

Emma shook her head.

"Let's get going then."

* * *

"I still don't know the name of my savior."

They were going down the stairs, him in front of her. The fact that she had referred to him as her savior amused him. He stopped and turned to face her, smirk on his face.

"How rude of me. Killian Jones at your service, your highness." With his hook resting on his belt, his other hand took Emma's, and pressed his lips against the soft skin. He could be a pirate, but that did not mean he was not a gentleman, even more so with a princess before him. She seemed to be a little taken aback by that action, and he noticed that she had spent twenty years without having anyone around her, let alone having someone to address her formally. "However, most know me by another name, princess."

He raised his left arm so that she could fully appreciate his hook.

"Captain Hook."

If the girl was impressed or curious about his hook, she didn't show it. She just repeated the same words he had pronounced to her a few moments ago.

"Seems to fit you, Hook," she spoke. "I'm Emma."

A chuckle escaped Killian's lips. The girl had a spark, he had to admit so. He turned around and resumed his walk.

"That I know. You're quite famous, don't you know?"

Emma spent a few moments in silence, as if doubting if she should speak or not.

"You don't seem to be the captain of some royal navy." He heard the curiosity in her voice. He smiled to himself.

"That's because I'm not. I'm something far different from that, I'm a-"

"Pirate." Emma finished his sentence.

"Indeed. Intuitive one, aren't you?" He spoke, turning his face slightly towards her. "Read about any pirates in your tales? Perhaps I appear in some."

The princess however fell silence once again. She spoke some minutes later:

"You're obviously no prince, and you don't work for any king so... Why are you here?" She asked, suspicion in her voice.

He decided he should be honest to the girl.

"Many people have been desperate to get you out of here, Swan. They offer great rewards to the man who gets to get you out of the tower."

He heard how Emma stopped dead in her tracks.

"You're only here for money?"

Killian stopped as well, turning around.

"Love, I have no interest in gold." He told her with a small smile.

"What are you interested in then?" The blonde's eyes narrowed.

His smile turned into a smirk.

"Something far greater. I don't mean to be rude, lass, but that's none of your business. Now, can we get going?"

Ignoring his words, she continued to ask him questions. "Where are you taking me?"

The princess was starting to exasperate him. "Why, to your prince, of course. Did you really think I'd be the one to kiss your curse away?" He finished his question by raising an eyebrow at her.

That question appeared to be unexpected for her, and she immediately opened her mouth to reply.

"I-I-" Emma's cheeks went darker, and she quickly lowered her eyes to the stone steps. She began to walk again. Killian let out a sigh, and did so as well.

"So, the prince will be the one to give you the reward." Her voice was filled with something Killian couldn't quite decipher.

"No, your parents will. But there won't be any reward if you don't stay alive enough to actually get to them."

"A pirate, indeed."

Ah, of course. Deception, that was it.

Luckily, as they reached the next room, he was able to see how a corner of it was filled with shards of glass, and further up on the wall, a gap.

"Enough chat, this is it." He spoke.

They walked towards the broken window, and Emma frowned.

"So many years, and the answer was so easy." She sounded disappointed at herself.

"Well, Swan, I doubt you would've survived trying to escape alone. The fall would've killed you. There is a rope on the other side to help you slide down. Do you want me to go first, or you prefer to have the honors?"

Emma kept her face straight, however, he saw a glimpse of fear in her eyes.

"I can go first. I'll be down there to catch you if something happens." He reassured her.

Emma shook her head, a determined look on her face. "I can do it."

She was brave. In what might had been not much more than an hour since he had met her, she had surprised him more than once.

"As you wish, love."

With his hand and hook carefully on her waist, he helped her climb up to the window. They shared one last look, and Killian nodded at her in reassurance.

"You can do it, Swan."

With her hands clasped firmly on the rope, he saw her go down until she disappeared from his sight. He had to climb up to the window to keep on watching her, heart accelerated at the thought of something bad would happen. It was not until the princess became a distant figure, moving through the green grass, that Hook sighed with relief.

"Everything alright, Swan?!" He shouted as loud as he could so she would hear him.

If he had been down there with her, he would have seen the smile that lit up her face. However, he had no need to watch her, the happiness in her voice was more than enough.

"I'm terrific, Hook!"

For some reason, he couldn't help but to smile as well.

* * *

 **A/N: And they finally meet! From now on, there'll be lots of CS moments coming! And oh my, isn't it strange it was so easy rescuing Emma? There are definitely some odds things around here :D Let me all know what do you think, feedback is always appreciated! And once more, thank you to all of those who have already liked this story :) Have a great day, all!**


	4. Chapter 3: Change of Plans

**A/N: Hello dearies! I hope you all are having a day/night, whatever the time is wherever you are! Once more, thanks all of you who have reviewed and followed this story, it encourages me to continue on with this story as fast as I can, and of course to try and do my best! As of now, I have all of this story planned out, and have written the draft of half of the chapters, so I can keep on posting twice a week! Yay!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3. Change of Plans.**

The moment Killian's feet finally landed back on the ground, he found Emma to be lying on the grass, with her eyes shut. As he neared her, she seemed to be so still he was about to believe she had fallen back to sleep. However, the princess seemed to hear him approaching, since she opened her eyes, which she directed towards him.

"I thought no one would ever come and rescue me. That I would stay on that tower forever," she got up into a sitting position. "Thank you for getting me out of there."

"No need to thank me, love." Killian answered with a nod. He could see the girl was happy, being out of the tower for the first time in many years. And seeing her like that, smiling as she took in all of her surroundings, for some reason made him not want to ruin the princess' happy moment. "Are you hungry, Swan?"

Emma bit her lip, perhaps a little ashamed, but in the end she nodded. "Really hungry."

"Wait here," he told her.

Killian then walked over to where the horse was. They still had three more days of travelling left, and he had to make sure they didn't run out of food before that time. Taking one of the bags off the horse, he returned to where Emma was.

"It's not a meal worthy of a princess, but it'll have to do." He told her as he sat down next to her. Pulling out a bread from the bag, he broke it in half, giving one of the halves to Emma. "I'll make sure, however, we get a nicer meal when we get to the port."

"Thank you." Emma replied, offering him a small smile. She took the bread from Killian's hand, and took a bite out of it. "You shouldn't worry about that, you've already done too much for me."

They ate in silence, until Emma finally spoke after she finished.

"I had forgotten how it was like to be out of there. The smell of the grass, how much it hurt to stare directly at the sun... To have the wind blowing in your face," she fixed her eyes on him, and Killian had to admit freedom did her good. Being out in the sun, her hair seemed to be even blonder, and her eyes glistened with emotion. "I could stay sitting right here forever."

"Aye, love, it's a lovely view for sure." Killian replied, throwing the bag over his shoulder and rising up to his feet. "But I don't believe it's a good idea to stay here wasting any more time."

The blonde nodded in agreement and got up as well.

"How long will it take us to get there?" She inquired as they walked towards the horse, her being a couple of steps behind the pirate.

"It's a three day ride from here to the port," he answered. "From there, we will traveling on my ship for a couple of days. And then, we'll only have to ride towards the castle for half a day."

"And who's castle are we exactly heading to?" Emma wondered.

"King Edgar's, it's his son you will be marrying, or whatever." Killian spoke, getting to the horse and untied its reins. As he looked behind himself, he noticed Emma had stopped a few steps behind, and she was staring at Killian and the horse. "What's wrong, Swan? Let's go."

"It's just... I haven't been on a horse in a long time." She said, taking a few careful steps forward. Just as Killian was about to hop on the horse, it started neighing. Killian grabbed its reins as it raised its forelegs, being obvious now that the horse was upset.

"Wow, wow, easy there!" Killian exclaimed, however, the horse's strength was bigger than his, and he wasn't able to hold on to the reins for too long. Taking a hand to his hair, he let out a frustrated growl as he watched how the horse galloped far from them.

"Well," he turned around to face Emma, as he spoke in a sarcastically positive tone. "At least we still have half of our supplies."

"I'm sorry." Emma seemed to have stayed frozen in her place, not taking her eyes off of the place where the horse had disappeared out of sight. "Perhaps the horse didn't like me."

"Please, love, I doubt that." He replied, not giving her words much importance. "The horse was upset for some reason, and I doubt it was because she saw you as some horse-eating creature. Anyway, it doesn't matter. The important thing now is that we have a change of plans. Walking will delay us a couple of days."

"Well..." Emma seemed to have snapped out of her trance, and began walking, heading into the woods. "We better start now, then."

* * *

They hadn't been walking for too much time when Killian decided to break the silence. There was something he could not get out of his head since the moment they had spoken on that tower.

"Care to explain something to me, Swan?" He asked her, turning his head to look at her as they walked side by side.

"Tell me." She answered, nodding.

"Your tower. The magic it possesses. I had never heard of such a thing." He said, and he had indeed seen many types of magic in his long life.

The blonde pursed her lips.

"Every night, as the clock strikes midnight, a door appears." She explained to him. "And as soon as the sun rises, it disappears."

"And so does the beast." Killian replied, and Emma nodded in response. "Did you ever see it? The beast?"

He was curious to know what the beast was like, what made it as terrible as what the stories said. At least he knew it had very large claws, because of the marks on the walls of her tower. He smiled to himself thinking how would deliver the princess to the king, and how he probably would be interrogated on how he had survived facing the beast. And yet, he had no idea of what the beast even looked like.

"No, I never saw it." Emma said, shifting her eyes to her feet. "I just know that it is powerful enough to kill whoever faces it. Hundreds of people faced the beast, and none were left to tell the tale."

Emma returned to sink her eyes on Killian.

"I never left my room, you know?" She confessed. "I never left, I just waited for someone to arrive there. I was too afraid to go down and see them, find what was left of those who came to help me."

"I..." Killian began to speak, and he actually felt sorry for the princess. He sighed, "I cannot imagine how horrible that must have been."

"All those people died, and it is my fault." Emma's gaze was filled with guilt now.

He took her arm with his hook, stopping her. She jumped slightly.

"Don't blame yourself, Swan," he spoke, frowning. "Blame the one who put you in that tower."

Emma hesitated for a second, then looked down.

"But it was my fault. Those people died because of me." She replied decidedly, getting away from his grip and continued on walking.

* * *

They spent several hours walking. Occasionally, Killian would pull his compass out of his jacket, making sure they were on the right track. When he noticed it had begun to darken, Killian decided it would be good time to stop.

"It's starting to get dark." Killian told her. "We should get some rest now, and early tomorrow we'll continue walking."

Emma nodded. She seemed to be exhausted. "I hadn't walked that much in nearly two decades." She spoke, quickly sitting down, her back against a tree trunk.

"And we still have a long way to go, love." Killian said, sitting beside her. He grabbed his bag and pulled out a handful of blueberries, which he gave to Emma.

"Thanks."

"Since the horse ran off with half of our supplies, and we will also be on these woods for a longer time than what I had originally planned, we will have to ration food." Killian told Emma, looking at what was left in the bag. "Unfortunately, the water was in the other bag. That means tomorrow we will have to deviate a little, to find food and water."

"Sounds good to me." Emma replied after chewing up and swallowing a couple of blueberries.

"Thankfully, the horse didn't take the rum." Killian murmured as he pulled his bottle out to take a sip. He noticed how Emma stared at him, and smiled amusedly. "Want some?"

Emma watched the bottle for a few seconds and then nodded. She took the bottle and raised it to her lips, and almost immediately she grimaced, wiping her lips quickly.

"What the hell is that?" She asked, handing it back to the pirate.

"Rum, love," Killian said, laughing at the face she had made. "With time you'll get used to the taste."

Emma put some more blueberries in her mouth, trying to get the rum's taste out of her mouth. A few moments later, she spoke once more.

"What can my parents give you, besides from gold?" Emma asked.

Killian couldn't help thinking that she was an insistent woman.

"I told you already, love, that it is none of your business." He replied, taking a sip of his rum. "Besides, it is a very long history, and this has been quite a long day. I bet you must be tired, lass."

Emma looked up, the branches would not let them see the moon or the stars, making them both be already submerged in darkness.

"I suppose you're right," The girl said, settling into the ground. "Good night, Hook."

"Goodnight love." Killian replied, staring as the girl closed her eyes and turned to her side, facing away from him. After a couple of sips from his drink, he also settled down to sleep.

* * *

A noise made him slightly open his eyes.

Between his sleepiness and darkness, he was not able to see much, and he chose to believe it to have been nothing to worry about, turn around and continue sleeping. If he'd been more awake, he would have felt alarmed. And no, there weren't any strangers around, no thieves trying to steal from them. The night was peaceful.

The only odd thing was, however, that around him there was nothing more than grass and fallen leaves from the trees.

Between his sleepiness and darkness, he failed to see that the princess wasn't next to him.


	5. Chapter 4: The River

**Chapter 4. The River.**

The rays of sunlight that filtered through the leaves woke Killian, who covered his eyes with his hand, blinking a couple of times and sighing. He stayed like that for a few moments, until he finally decided to sit down. He turned his face to see Emma, who was soundly asleep, four feet away from him.

He approached her, and then crouched beside her. "Princess, wake up," he softly spoke to her, and the girl let out a grunt. "Come on, beautiful, we still have a long way to go."

Emma muttered something that Killian believed was an "I'm coming", and then with a tired groan she began opening her eyes slowly.

Killian rose up to his feet, grabbing the bag and taking an apple out of it. He turned to see that the blonde was already up.

"Are you hungry?" Killian asked the girl, showing her the apple.

"Actually, I'm not." Emma said, shaking her head.

The response made Killian raise an eyebrow.

"Come on, love, if it is because there's not much food, then don't worry." He told her, "Today we'll take care of looking for food and water."

Emma shook her head once more. "I'm serious, you eat it. I'm not hungry."

"Alright." Killian replied with a shrug, taking a bite of the apple.

"But," Emma continued, standing up. "I'm dying of thirst. Let's find water."

* * *

"I think this is the first time I've seen a bird since we entered this woods." The blonde spoke after walking for perhaps two or three hours, and Killian followed the direction of her gaze. In a tree about seven feet away from them, were a couple of birds perched on a branch. Killian smiled.

"Let's go there then, love." Killian told her, beginning to walk in the direction where the tree was.

"What, are we going to eat bird for lunch?" Emma asked in an alarmed tone.

Killian laughed at the innocence of the princess. It was more than clear that she did not know much about survival.

"If there are animals, the most probable thing is that there's some water source nearby. Birds also have to stay hydrated, love." Killian explained to Emma as they walked.

After what might have been half an hour of walking, Killian stopped the girl.

"Do you hear that?" He asked her, not because he needed someone to confirm the sound, but because he wanted to see if the girl was able to tell what it was. Emma remained in silence for a minute, concentrating on the sound.

"Water?" She asked, a little uncertain, and Killian smiled and nodded at her answer.

"Aye."

When they finally reached the river, Emma did not think twice about running towards the water, kneeling and taking a sip of it. Killian approached, crouching beside her. The stream of water was crystal clear, and Killian could even see a few fish swimming around.

With her hands, the girl put some water to her face, washing her sweat away. Killian watched her, smirk on his face as an idea came to his mind.

"What?" Emma asked abruptly, noting the pirate was staring at her.

"I was thinking maybe we could get into the river, and take a swim." Killian said, lips curving upwards, smirk growing as he spoke.

"And to walk out of here with our clothes soaking wet?" The blonde raised an eyebrow at his proposition.

"We can take them off."

Emma's expression was one of disbelief, and Killian let out a laugh. "Not in a million years, Hook," she told him, rolling her eyes at him.

"Come on, love, we both know that deep down you want to," he replied suggestively. It was incredibly fun to mess around with her, watching how her cheeks darkened slightly.

"Sorry to disappoint you but no, I don't.," Emma replied in an annoyed tone, as she stared at the water. "Look, there's fish. Do you think we could...?"

"Aye, lass." Killian replied. "We might get a decent meal now. You think you'll be able to start a fire?"

Emma bit down on her lip. "I can try."

"Good. Go ahead and collect all the branches and dry leaves that you can." He asked her. "Meanwhile, I'll try to get us something to eat."

Half an hour later they had a fire burning -Killian had to teach her how to start it, and Emma had watched with delight-, and a couple of fish ready to be cooked. While Killian kept them on the fire, he saw how Emma, who was sitting beside him, began to nod, eyes fighting to stay open.

"Love, are you feeling alright?" He asked with a frown.

Emma seemed to react, and looked at him. "Yes, yes, I'm fine." She said, blinking rapidly.

She looked tired, the dark circles under her eyes indicating that perhaps she had not slept a lot the previous night.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Killian asked.

"No, I have... nightmares." Emma spoke slowly, staring at the fire.

Killian nodded, understanding. A woman who had had to live alone in the home of a beast for twenty years, who was stolen away from her parents at a young age, it would be a miracle if she didn't have any nightmares.

"I get them too." He wasn't sure why he decided to confess that to her. Perhaps, he wanted her to know she wasn't the only one. "I have learned to live with them, however."

Once the fish had finished cooking, they began to eat.

"Tell me, Swan." Killian began talking, wanting to fill the silence, and Emma's eyes rose to see him. "What did you do to get a witch to hate you that much?"

"I didn't do anything." She replied sharply, looking down and continuing to eat.

"Then, what's the story?" He asked, curious.

"Let me finish this first." Emma said, and she didn't seem to be looking forward to tell him the tale of her imprisonment.

They remained silent for a while after eating, and Killian was almost certain that Emma had forgotten to speak to him about it, however a few moments later she began talking, her brow furrowed:

"I was out on the courtyard, riding on my favorite horse. I was just eight years old. My mom had told me I should not play outside for too long, but I didn't listen. I never did." She spoke, watching the fire as if in a trance. "I heard a voice, in the bushes. She kept saying my name over and over, but she didn't sound scary. It was a friendly voice, so I went ahead to see who it was. The only thing I remember, then, is that I fell off my horse and hit my head. When I woke up, I was already in the tower. The Evil Queen was there, grinning at me. My parents had always told me about her, how she had done everything she could to kill my mother, but the love between my parents was stronger than the queen's hate, and they were able to defeat her. And the queen told me I was the key to her revenge."

Emma let out a sigh, turning to look at Killian.

"She said a few words, I don't remember them exactly. It was about my curse." She continued on talking, "That I would die in twenty years, if not for true love's kiss. A true love that would never come, for the door to the tower would only be opened at the same time that the beast came. And nobody would ever survive facing it."

"I remember how I would wake up in the morning, knowing already that someone had died because of me." A tear escaped her eyes, and she looked away, as if ashamed that Killian would see her cry. She quickly wiped it away as she still spoke, "I would always hear their screams during the time that the door was opened. For nearly twenty years, I heard them."

Killian put his hand on her arm, caressing it gently. She jumped at the touch, not used to having someone to comfort her.

There was something about this woman, so beautiful and yet she had had to endure so much suffering in her life... It made him feel an urge to ensure she would not suffer more.

"Hush, love. You're safe now."

"I still have to break the curse." Emma told him as she shook her head.

Killian realized he did not know how much time was left until the curse came to its end.

"How long before you...?" He was unsure if he should finish the sentence and thankfully, she understood what he meant.

"One month. I'm running out of time." Her voice broke then, and Killian could see that the girl was terrified.

"Let's not waste any more, then." Killian's hand lowered to take Emma's, and they both got up together. He let go of her hand to take out his compass. "We're still on the right track. We can keep on walking along the river, that way we'll have a safe source of food and water."

"I like that idea." Emma told him. "I don't want to leave this place this early. Let's go."

* * *

"You have asked so much about me..." Emma began to speak, as they walked side by side. "And I still don't know anything about you."

"Ask away, love." Killian said, his look amused as he already knew very well what it would be the first thing she would ask him.

"What's up with the hook?" Emma asked him.

"Many years ago, a crocodile took my hand. In return, I stabbed this hook into his chest." His face darkened as he shortly explained the story behind his hook to her. "It didn't hurt him as much as I wanted to, but I've used it since then as a reminder."

"Reminder of what?" Emma seemed to be afraid to ask.

"To make the bloody creature pay." He answered in a serious tone, and he wondered if the hatred that oozed from his voice gave away the fact that he was not talking about any animal.

"Okay..." Emma murmured, realizing that perhaps this was not the best topic for a casual conversation. "What if we move on to a less heated question? How old are you?"

"Almost two hundred years, love." Killian replied, letting out a laugh.

Emma snorted, and then rolled her eyes. "Be serious, pirate."

"I am serious." He replied with an amused smile, and Emma's eyes opened widely. "I spent many years of my long life in a realm where time doesn't go on as it normally would."

"Well, aren't you full of surprises." She told him with a sigh.

"Oh, you are surely right about that." He laughed, however the blonde was no longer paying much attention to the conversation. She was staring right in front of them, and Killian decided to do so as well.

"Hook, is that...?"

There was no need for her to finish her sentence, Killian had already seen it. With his hook, he pushed her back.

"Stay behind me."

A dead deer. As he approached, the smell of putrefaction became worse. It had been dead for quite a while. Killian crouched in front of it, watching the tears in the skin of the animal. Pieces of flesh were torn, probably by teeth.

"It'll be better if you don't look, love." He spoke to the girl. She chose to ignore him, because she was in no time kneeling right next to him. That animal had been slaughtered, and Killian tried to decipher what could have done such a thing. Those marks were too large, too deep. What kind of animal would've done something like this?

After staring at it for a few moments, an idea came to his mind. He turned his face towards the girl.

"Swan, was that beast of yours able to leave the tower? Where did it go once the sun came out?"

"Nowhere, it just disappeared. I-It never left the tower." He could sense that Emma was nervous, he could also see that she was pale. "Do you think it did this?"

"Aye." He replied to her question. "No normal animal would've ever done something like this."

* * *

 **A/N: There are a lot of loose ends around here, aren't there? I've been leaving some clues here and there, and some of you are probably starting to guess where this is going! But don't worry, things will get clearer quite soon. Thank you all for reading and reviewing, and I'll see you next sunday as usual! :D**


	6. Chapter 5: Thief

**A/N: I was supposed to post this yesterday, however, I was out all day and I wasn't able to. I'm sorry for the delay, however here you have the chapter just as I promised! As always, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I love reading what you guys think about the story, and what you think will happen!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5. Thief.**

Killian woke up the next day, early in the morning. This time Emma had awakened before him, and was a couple of meters away from him. She was sitting by the river, her feet submerged in the water.

With a yawn, he rose from the floor and approached her.

"Good morning, love." He groggily spoke, running a hand through his face. Emma looked up as she heard him, and quickly rose up to her feet.

"Morning, Hook." Emma gave him a little smile, and now that he was facing her, Killian was able to see that the dark circles around her eyes were now even more marked than they were the day before.

"Swan, did you even get any sleep?" He asked her, staring at her tired face. Killian began to wonder if the girl had gotten any rest in the last couple of days. "Bloody hell, you look tired."

Emma shook her head, not giving it much importance.

"I'll be fine." She said, as she put her boots back on. "It doesn't matter if I'm tired, we've got to go."

Killian wondered then if she was trying to appear stronger than she actually was, not wanting to be the reason why they had to stop on their journey.

As he stared at her, a slightly grim thought crossed Killian's mind. He had no idea what would the girl's imminent death be like -and honestly, he wasn't looking forward to ask her that-, but he wondered if perhaps this had something to do with it. The girl seemed unable to fully rest, and it seemed that at any moment she would fall down from exhaustion. If she continued going on like that, she would probably fall ill.

"What are we waiting for, then?" Emma's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and she stared at him with an exasperated look, and Killian shook his head.

"Nothing. Let's go on, Swan."

* * *

They walked for a while, and while Emma never complained, Killian could see how every moment that passed the girl seemed to have more trouble in keeping up with the pace.

"Let's get some rest for a while, love." Killian told her, knowing that she desperately needed a break from walking.

"Hook, I told you I'm-" She began to protest, but he quickly cut her off.

"I'm tired too," he told her, so she wouldn't feel bad about it. "It'll only be a couple of minutes."

Emma decided to agree, and sat on the grass. Killian looked toward the river, wondering if it would be good idea to fish again, since it took him some time to do that. Opening his bag, he looked at the food that was left, seeing what he could offer to the blonde. Perhaps some food could get her energies higher.

"Well, Swan, we still have a few apples..."

He looked up to see her, only to find that Emma had fallen asleep. Killian laughed softly, beginning to consider that wasting a little time wouldn't be that much of a bad idea. It wasn't too late yet, he could let her rest for a while as he fished, and then they would continue on their way.

He took his time collecting a couple of fish, then starting a fire to cook there. Even after Killian had finished all of those activities, Emma was still in a deep sleep.

He then decided to dedicate himself to watch her. Since he had first seen her, it had been more than clear that this woman was one of the most beautiful he had seen. Perhaps his memory failed him, but at that time couldn't recall seeing any woman with a beauty comparable to hers.

Emma's hair was slightly tousled, and Killian took a strand of blond hair to place it behind her ear. A mischievous smile settled on his lips, and he lowered his hand to place it on her cheek, rubbing it gently.

The blonde sighed, leaning into the touch. A few moments later she began to slowly open her eyes, and when the green orbs finally landed on the pirate, Emma went still.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She asked hesitantly, and Killian removed his hand from her face with a laugh.

"Well, for a moment back then, it looked like you were enjoying it." Killian said with an amused smile, and Emma rolled her eyes as she sat down. "Lunch, love."

"Thank you." Emma said as he handed her a cooked fish. "How long was I asleep?"

"A couple of hours." Killian said, as he began to eat. Looking at her face, she seemed livelier now. "You look better."

Emma smiled, slightly embarrassed.

"You were right, I was tired."

* * *

"We're leaving the river behind." Emma spoke a few hours later, stopping her walk for a moment.

"Aye, and we should try to get some more fish. We don't know if we'll come across to another safe source of food during the days of walking we have left." Killian told her, and Emma nodded.

Noticing that Emma had nothing to do, an idea passed through his mind.

"Care to help me out, Swan?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow at the princess.

"I would, but I think it's quite obvious that I've never fished." Emma replied to him. "I don't know how to do it."

Killian motioned her to come closer. Both ducked at the river's edge, and he pulled his knife from his jacket. Killian always carried with him a pair of hidden extra weapons, just in case.

"You've got to wait for a fish to get closer." He told her. "You only get one chance to grab him, if not you'll scare it away."

Emma nodded, taking the knife from his hand.

"I can do it." She murmured, eyes focused on the water.

Emma's gaze focused on one, and she waited for it to be as close as it could get to stab the knife into the river, splashing water all around and it was quite clear she didn't get even close to catching the fish, which swam away from the scene.

Killian held back a laugh.

"Love, things in the water seem closer than they really are. You have to calculate better your move." He explained, and reached out his hand so she would give her back the knife. "Let me show you how it's actually done."

Emma shook her head fiercely.

"I can do it." She insisted. Her second try was as bad as the first one, and this time Killian did laugh.

"Is that the best you can do, Swan?" He teased her.

Emma glared at him, and before he could react, the princess was pushing him into the river.

"Goddamn it, Swan, you've got to be kidding!" He cried out in annoyance, his clothes completely soaked as he walked out of the water. The blonde was a couple of meters away from him already, possibly since she had assumed that the pirate would want to throw her in the water as his revenge. "See if you can catch any fish now that you've scared them all away!"

"Believe me, Hook, it was worth it." Emma replied between laughs, wiping tears from her eyes. And for some reason, instead of bothering him, Killian had to fight against the smile that was threatening to appear wide on his face.

Three days in, and the blonde was already starting to get under his skin.

* * *

In the end, they caught about four fish- of which Emma actually got to catch one. In addition, Killian pulled from his bag an empty bottle which they filled with water. From there, they walked until they left the river behind and returned to delve into the forest. The sun had begun to set when they stopped walking.

Emma was still laughing from time to time as she remembered how she threw Killian in the river (the sun had done a good job in drying his clothes out as they walked). She seemed to have more energy than she had had earlier that day.

"I'll go collect some wood for the fire." She told him with a smile.

"Aye, love, go carefully." Killian nodded, sitting on the ground to wait, as she disappeared between the bushes.

She wasn't gone for any longer than five minutes when he heard her.

"HOOK!" Her cry was one of alarm, a desperate one, and in a second Killian got up, feeling his heart drop to his feet. "HOOK!"

Without thinking it twice, he shot off to where he heard the voice coming from.

"SWAN!" Killian called out, and he felt dread at the thought of something bad happening to Emma. He heard her scream once more, this time however the sound was abruptly cut off. He used the sound as a guide, and he kept on running through the trees.

When Killian saw her, he didn't hesitate to draw out his sword. There was a man, of short height and thin, who had one arm around the princess' waist, and his other hand was covering her mouth. Emma was squirming under his grip, trying to get away from him.

"Let her go!" Killian shouted, knowing he couldn't attack directly, not with Emma right there in the middle.

Emma writhed harder against the man until he yelped in pain, removing his hand from Emma's mouth. By the way waved his hand, his face distorted with pain, Killian could easily guess that the girl had bitten him, and not in a gentle manner.

Emma took advantage of the man's weak moment and stroke him another blow, this time elbowing him in the ribs, making him release her completely. And now that she was free, she immediately ran to where Killian was.

"Are you alright, love?" He asked her in a low voice, eyes not leaving the man's figure, as he felt his blood heat up with rage. He could perfectly go ahead and kill the man, but he found it more important to know if the girl was okay.

"I'm fine." Emma answered him, a little breathless, and that was all he needed to know.

Killian took a couple of strides towards him, whose hands were resting on his knees as he gasped for air. Just as he reached the man, he quickly put his sword against his throat.

"Why are you here?" Killian asked, voice thick with anger. "What did you want with her?"

"T-the reward, sir." The man spoke with a trembling voice. "I just wanted the money. Please, don't hurt me..."

"Cowardly men like you shouldn't exist in this world." He spoke angrily, however, the feel of Emma's hands on his arm stopped him. He turned to look at her.

"Don't." Emma spoke softly to him. "Please, Killian."

It was the first time she used his name, instead of just calling him Hook. And seeing her, with her big green eyes silently begging him to have pity towards the thief, for some reason it was impossible for him to refuse.

He put away his sword.

"Thank you so much." The man spoke, his expression one of relief.

And while Killian had heard the blonde's petition, she couldn't stop Killian from giving the man a well-deserved punch in the face. The man ended up sprawled on the floor.

"I want you out of my sight. And quickly, before I regret letting you go."

The man, a little disoriented, clumsily ran off, hand still holding his jaw.

"Are you sure he made you no harm?" Killian asked her as he turned to watch her face. Now that the thief had left, he could place his full attention to her. Emma nodded at his question.

"I'm good. What about you? You seemed a little pale back then." A mischievous grin appeared on her face. "Worried about me or about losing _your_ reward?"

Killian remained quiet. He wasn't quite sure if he knew the answer, actually. However, the blonde seemed to understand quite well what the silence meant, and it seemed to please her.

"You did a great job in defending yourself, love." He changed the subject. Emma then took a few steps, getting closer to him.

"Perhaps I needed you to rescue me, Hook, but I did fine on my own for almost twenty years." She spoke with confidence. "I can take care of myself."

And with that Emma began walking, leaving Killian behind.

 _What a woman, indeed. What a woman._

* * *

"I think we should take night shifts. Just in case there happens to be anyone else around." Killian spoke to her once they were already settled back in the ground, ready to rest. They had decided it would be the best to not to light any fire that night, not wanting to risk that the flames would draw any unwanted attention to where they were.

Emma nodded. "I'll go first."

His eyebrows rose at her words.

"None of that, love." He refused, she had just been almost taken away from him a couple of minutes before, he couldn't just sleep peacefully and let her do what had to be _his_ job- protecting her.

"Hook, I can do it." She told him, and he heard that stubborn tone of hers and knew it was a lost case. She wouldn't give in, no matter what he said. "If I see anything, I'll wake you up."

It took him a few moments to actually nod at her and, with a loud sigh, he reached out for the knife hidden in his jacket, the one they had used for fishing earlier that day.

"Well, if you're going to do that you might as well then have this, just in case someone actually shows up." He told her, and a smile showed on Emma's face as she took the knife.

"If I didn't know you," Emma started, watching his face carefully with an amused glint in her eyes. "I'd say you're worried about me."

A snort came out of Killian's mouth. "You were lucky this guy was nothing but a weakling. Keep the knife, maybe next time you'll need more than just your bare fists, princess."

"Thank you." She told him sweetly, he could notice her words were honest. Her smile had widened, and for some reason, that smile seemed so dazzling that he had to look away from her face.

"Wake me up in a couple of hours, aye?" He told her as he laid down on the grass.

"Aye, captain." Killian heard her speak, imitating his accent, and he couldn't help but laugh right before he closed his eyes and slept.


	7. Chapter 6: Letting Go

**A/N: For some reason, this is one of the chapters I've enjoyed writting the most! And for all of you asking in the reviews, don't worry, things about Emma will get a lot clearer sooner than you think ;) Enjoy 3**

* * *

 **Chapter 6. Letting Go.**

Killian had expected to be woken up by the blonde, however, when he woke up, he did it all by himself. Nor was it a night as he'd expected, the forest illuminated with the light of morning.

"What the bloody hell, Swan?" He cried out indignant, starting to stand up. "You were supposed to... _Swan_?"

Killian looked around, and there was no trace of the princess. Everything seemed intact, his bag was at his side, right where he had left it. The only thing that was missing was Emma. He rose up quickly, and began to walk among the trees. It was useless, as he had no idea in which direction she would have gone.

"Swan, where are you?!" He exclaimed as he walked, hoping to perhaps get a response. "Emma!"

His call received no response whatsoever, and he took one hand to his hair in frustration. He opted to stay quiet, to not keep on drawing attention on himself and his current location, and did his effort to see if he could listen to anything around him. If someone had taken her, they shouldn't still be close, but he had to try.

For a few minutes he didn't hear anything, but then he heard a branch breaking. Someone was approaching. He hid behind a tree, and took his sword, ready to ambush whoever it was.

Killian heard the footsteps get closer, and when he perceived that the time was right, he came out of his 'hiding place', sword high up.

"Oh, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Emma cried out, eyes wide open with terror as the sword of the pirate was within inches of her neck.

Killian didn't know whether to feel relieved or angry. In the end, he opted for the second option.

"What the hell do _you_ think you're doing?" Killian asked, pulling away his sword as he glared at her. "Where were you?"

Emma looked at him puzzled.

"I was walking," she simply replied.

"You were..." Killian didn't know if the blonde was kidding, the idea that she had in fact gone to walk through the woods as if nothing happened the night before seeming completely absurd to him. He frowned, and added with annoyance: "Oh, I see. You had the idea of going for a walk without letting me know, after that last night someone almost kidnapped you, right? You're bloody brilliant, Swan."

"Calm down, Hook." Emma replied, seeming to be somewhat annoyed as well. "I told you last night that I can take care of myself. And also, you were asleep, and since I didn't have anything to do, and it was too early to wake you up, I went for a walk."

Her words recalled Killian the fact that she had been supposed to wake him up for his night shift. He couldn't help but to get even more annoyed at the blonde.

"Right. I was asleep, and you were supposed to wake me up at night – you forgot about that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Look, Hook, I feel asleep!" Emma exclaimed. "I will be more careful next time, sorry."

There was something that made him doubt of her. It was probably that once again, the blonde had dark circles and seemed tired. Letting out a grunt, he however decided to leave the subject alone.

"One of these days you'll give me a bloody heart attack, Swan." He spoke through gritted teeth, before turning around, to return to where he had left their things.

* * *

During the first few hours of walking they stayed quiet, Killian walking in front, in a bad mood.

 _Bloody Swan, how could she have been so stupid?_ He could have died of fright. After all, he could have lost his reward, his chance of revenge.

A small voice in his head asked him if it was his revenge that had worried him so much.

"Do you think that we will find another river? I would like to wash my face." The blonde spoke, wiping the sweat from her brow.

Killian shrugged. "I don't know, maybe."

"Look, Hook, sorry for scaring you early. I didn't mean to do that." Killian heard the girl speak, however he wasn't paying much attention.

He could hear a noise, it was far away but he heard it.

"I won't go far away without telling you about it again." Emma kept on talking.

"Hush, love."

" _What?_ " He heard Emma speak with indignation. "I am apologizing to you, and you hush me? Being a pirate doesn't mean that you have to be-"

"Swan, be silent. I'm trying to listen to something." Killian interrupted her once more.

"Listen to what?" Emma whispered.

Killian remained still for a few seconds. The sound was too far away for him to be able to identify it.

"Let's go find out."

When they found the source of the sound, it turned out to be something unexpected for both of them. They hid behind a tree, since they saw tents, and several men, wearing armors, and as they watched them they appeared to be picking up their stuff, preparing to probably leave the place.

"Do you think they're looking for me?" Emma tip-toed, and whispered in his ear, trying to be as quiet as possible. Killian nodded.

"If someone goes into these forests is to seek out for you, Swan." He said in a whisper as well.

"We should get out of here." She replied.

"Aye... Let's go east, now. I don't want to take any risks, the sooner we're away, the better."

Killian wanted to avoid a confrontation as much as possible. Not out of fear, but because with Emma at his side, fighting would not be too easy. They were outnumbered, and it was very risky. It would be very easy for them to surround him, take Emma away as he fought.

After a while of walking, Emma seemed to realize something: "Hook, those men weren't like that thief from last night, they were wearing armors. They must work for someone... What if it is for the queen? Perhaps she already knows that I'm not in the tower anymore. Perhaps she's looking for me." She spoke in a restless tone, and Killian believed it was very possible for her to be right. Another reason for him to want to move away from the place quickly.

"You could be right, love, and for that reason we shouldn't stop today."

* * *

That day they didn't make their usual stops to rest and eat. Killian preferred to take precautions, and gain the greatest distance possible with whomever were those people they had bumped into earlier. They walked until the sun had set, and darkness began to wrap around them. When they stopped, they were all exhausted, and hungry. As soon as they could they started a fire, cooked a couple of fish, and once they were cooked, Killian and Emma fell into total silence while they devoured their food.

Both were sitting, still feeling full and heavy because of the food, and Killian thought that perhaps the blonde was too tired to speak, that she would go to sleep right away. However, after a while she spoke:

"Tell me about your reward."

Killian sighed. And the girl once again proved to be annoyingly insistent.

"Why are you so insistent on this topic?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Because I want to know what is so important for you to risk your life to rescue me." Emma answered with seriousness, and there it was again, that voice tone that indicated that she was not going to leave him in peace until she got what she wanted.

Killian snorted, and took out his bottle from his jacket. He knew where this conversation was headed towards to, and if he was going to tell the story to Emma, he needed to seek out for his faithful rum's assistance.

"Your parents have the crocodile locked up. You are my key to get to them, and they'll take me to him. And finally, I will get my revenge." He told her, to then take a sip of rum.

"You'll kill him?" Emma asked carefully.

"I have waited over a century for that." Killian nodded, drinking once again.

Emma frowned, thinking for a few moments.

"Your hand wasn't the only thing he took away from you, was it?" She spoke, more of a statement than a question. Once more, she proved to have an impressive intelligence and cunning.

"Since when are you so intuitive?" He asked bitterly, not liking the fact that it had been so easy for the girl to read him.

"So, I am right." A self-indulgent smile appeared on her face.

Killian took another couple of drinks, and turned his gaze away from Emma, focusing on what he was about to tell her.

"I once fell in love with a woman..." He began to speak, but was quickly interrupted by the princess.

"Milah." The word that came out of the blonde's mouth made Killian immediately rotate his head back to see her, eyes open with surprise.

"What the hell, Swan?" He exclaimed, for a moment fearing that she could indeed read him.

"You have that name tattooed on your arm." Emma quickly explained, diverting her sight to his right arm. She smiled a little embarrassed, "Twenty years of loneliness makes you learn to look at even the smallest of details."

The woman always seemed to find how to impress him.

"Okay, I think that's great. Now, can I tell you the bloody story without you interrupting?" He asked, to which Emma nodded. Killian took another sip before continuing: "She was married, but was unhappy. She was right to feel that way, because the man was nothing more than a coward. She fled away with me, and he begged me to give her back to him. I told him that he would have to fight for her, as a man, and he didn't. She was too good for him. She was brave and bold, the moment she stepped on my ship she became a pirate. And then, one day the man came back, with magic, powerful and dark magic. He killed her, and then he cut my hand. Since then, I've sought to kill him."

He took another sip, this one longer than normal, as if trying to drown with it the anger and pain that this story caused him.

Emma remained in silence for a few minutes, watching him carefully, almost as if she was analyzing him.

"You must've loved her a lot."

"There are only two things that are worth dying for, Swan." He told her, diverting his gaze to the fire, which was beginning to go off. "Love and revenge. He took my love, and now I won't rest until he pays."

Another sip.

"Is it really worth that much? Shouldn't you let her go?" Killian heard the girl ask, and he sighed.

"Please, Swan, you wouldn't ever understand." He said, not giving her words much importance.

"I understand that killing someone is not going to make her come back to you. It's not going to fill that emptiness." Emma replied firmly, and Killian buried his eyes into her own.

"What do you know about emptiness?" He asked with irritation.

"I grew up isolated from the world." Emma replied with a frown, that question seemed to have bothered her. "I was taken away from my family, away from all I ever loved when I was just a child."

"And tell me, Swan, now that you're an expert in these things: What according to you should I do?" Killian offered him a sarcastic smile, the alcohol or the fact that she seemed to speak as if he was all mistaken enraged him.

"I don't know, but wasting your life looking for how to murder a man does not seem to me the right decision!" Emma exclaimed, as if she had to explain to a child something that was obvious.

"Oh, go to sleep, Swan, I won't speak more of this." He spoke sharply.

"Fine." Emma replied, looking at him indignantly, and then she lied down, turning her back on him.

Killian was leaning against the tree, still taking sips. Truly, that infuriating woman was something unique.

A few minutes later, he saw with the corner of his eye as Emma turned around, now being face-up. Her eyes were open.

"Have trouble sleeping, love?" He asked, his annoyance had already faded to the background. It was probably because he was slightly drunk.

"It's too cold." She replied.

"Come here, then." Killian suggested with a grin.

"Are you serious?" Emma raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, love. We can share our body heat."

Emma looked at the sky for a couple of minutes, and the fact that she had not responded any sharp reply back, made him think that she was indeed considering it.

And in fact, Emma in the end finally stood up, approaching him. Killian placed his bottle away in his jacket, getting comfortable on the grass.

Awkwardly she laid down close to him, completely stiff. Killian let out a laugh, those details were the ones that reminded him that the woman had spent nearly twenty years without any contact with another human being. He put his arm around the shoulder of the girl, bringing her closer to him, and she seemed to understand, for she surrounded him with one arm and then laid down her head on his chest. Noting that if she was indeed somewhat cold, Killian stroked her arm, trying to give her more heat.

"Thank you." She muttered.

"Enjoying, aren't you?" Killian said, amused.

"Hush before I regret this." Emma grumbled.

Killian laughed. There was something in that position that made him feel more than good, and now that he was for the first time this close to the blonde, bodies pressed up together, he thought that he could get used to being that way.

Killian thought about her words from before. Letting go? Everything he had done in the last hundred years, he had done it to avenge Milah. The thing that Emma suggested was ridiculous, something he just couldn't do.

He stared at her, still in his arms, looking small and fragile- although he had learned that she was not as fragile as she appeared to be. There was something in her that was different from any other lady he could recall ever knowing. Emma never failed to surprise him, and right there where he was, slightly drunk, he noticed that he was liking the girl more than he ever thought he ever would.

He could remember that he was supposed to stay awake for a few hours, to then wake her up and then he would be able to rest. However, the girl in his arms, the alcohol and the fatigue made the task a difficult one. He could smell her hair -a sweet smell-, and feel Emma's hot breath against his chest.

Killian didn't have any idea if the blonde was already sleeping, but a few moments later the warmth of the girl next to him made him begin to close his eyes no matter how hard he fought, the sound of her soft breathing began putting him to sleep until he wasn't able to do anything else than letting go.

* * *

 **A/N: Is this my fancy way of saying that Killian is starting to _like_ Emma? PERHAPS! Bwahahaha.**


	8. Chapter 7: Green

**Chapter 7. Green.**

It seemed as if he would always be surprised by her as he woke up in the mornings. This time it was that, at some point of the night, he had failed to notice the woman's warmth had abandoned him, and instead of finding her sleeping in his arms, she was not too far away from him, asleep on the green grass. For some reason, he couldn't help but softly laugh between his teeth. _Sneaky woman._

Killian sat down groggily, and moved to approach her sleeping figure. Closed eyes, messy blonde hair covering part of her face, however, he could still see that the delicate features of the woman were tense, and Killian wondered if she was having a bad dream. He touched her shoulder gently.

"Swan, time to wake up."

Emma woke up with a start, exalted breaths that seemed to calm down as she realized that it was the pirate the one who caressed her shoulder.

"Hey, Hook." She spoke after calming down, voice sleepy but still, she was able to offer Killian a soft smile. Immediately, his lips began to curve upwards as well.

"Having a bad dream, love?" Killian inquired, and Emma gave him a slight nod. It was a curious thing, how she seemed to always be having problems sleeping. "I didn't feel you moving away last night. You're an expert in sneaking away from me."

Killian would always either find the woman completely awake, or deeply asleep, as if she hadn't slept in the rest of the night. It was as if darkness made her restless, and he knew that wasn't normal, but he wasn't able to understand yet what was wrong. His first bet was to blame on the demons that must've followed her from that tower, reminding her of all of those awful times she spent trapped there. However, there were some things that still didn't look quite right to him, he just couldn't quite put his finger on them.

"Seems like this time you were the one that slept instead of watching over us." Emma replied with a yawn. "I tried to stay awake as long as possible, but being honest, I didn't last long."

He did his best to fully remember the events from the previous night: Emma's words, the bottle of rum he'd pretty much emptied, the feeling of Emma in his arms... He couldn't remember much more, so he guessed indeed she was right. He had fallen asleep, without completing his night shift.

"I'm sorry, love." He scratched behind his ear with slight embarrassment, because the princess falling asleep was one thing, and another one was that him, the experienced pirate, had let the rum and the comfort Emma had brought him beat him.

They sat there side by side for a while, eating and talking every once in a while between bites. It was obvious that their conversations became more natural with every day that passed. Both seemed relaxed at the other's company, and of course, how couldn't they when they had been trapped in that forest for several days. Helping and getting to know each other, sharing food and water, and now even sharing body heat. All of that had created a bond between the two of them, making it impossible for them not to begin trusting the other.

If Emma seemed at first to mistrust the pirate, now as they walked, heading south, she showed that Killian had won the girl's affection. Now as she rolled her eyes at the suggestive comments Killian made to tease her, she did it with a slight, amused smile on her face. And once in a while, she impressed him by exchanging her usual way of calling him with his real name, and while he enjoyed being called 'Hook' by her, he was liking much more the way she pronounced his name. Killian was almost certain that the woman's more open attitude towards him was thanks to their conversation from the previous night, since she had seen Killian's most vulnerable side- she had seen the part of him that showed that Killian had a heart, darkened by years of hatred, but still there it was, still beating strong despite having been torn apart a couple of times in the past.

But Killian didn't want to put much thought into that. He could still hear Emma's words from last night in his mind. Would there be another way to fill the void Milah had left? He didn't want to know.

It took them half a day of walk to, exchanging looks with surprise at their luck, stumble upon a pond. It wasn't too big, clear water surrounded by green grass and bushes.

"Are you up for resting here for a while?" Killian asked her, and she nodded. In maybe less than an hour of walking they would leave the place behind, so staying there for a while to rest and eat something seemed like the best idea.

They sat close to each other, facing towards the water.

"The water looks great." Emma said, to which Killian replied with a smirk.

"Considering my proposition from the other day?" He raised an eyebrow at her, mischievously.

Emma let out a laugh, slightly shaking her head. However, she remained quiet for a few seconds, and then rose up to her feet. "Turn around."

Killian's eyebrows raise this time in surprise. He stared at her, who started to untie her hood.

"Woah, what do you think you're doing, Swan?" He asked her with surprise as the hood fell to the grass.

"I told you to turn around." Emma placed her hands on her hips. "I've been sweating for days, and I really want to freshen myself up."

Killian stared at her in shock, not believing what his ears and eyes were hearing and seeing. However, as the gentleman he is, he fulfilled her wish, and turned his back to her, eyes fixed on the trees as he heard fabric drop to the ground. He swallowed hard. Was the woman really naked just behind him?

"You can turn around now, Killian." He heard her speak, and when he turns around he sees her already inside the water. He saw her disappearing under the water for a few seconds, and once her head comes back out to her surface, her curls were pressed to her face, soaking wet. He stays standing there for a little while, not sure what to do next.

"Mind if I join?" That's the thing that comes out from his mouth.

"As long as you don't stick too close to me, sure."

Killian doesn't need to hear more, and he began to get rid of all of his clothes, which drop right next to hers. He hadn't asked her to do so, but as he undressed Emma had covered her eyes, turning away from him. He chuckled softly.

He dipped into the water, which was slightly cold but it washed away his sweat from all the walking.

"You can turn around now, love." He told her with a smirk. "I wouldn't have minded you looking, you know."

When she turned around, her cheeks were slightly bushed, but still she rolled her eyes at his words. "No, thanks."

She looks beautiful, and the only thing he can see is her bare shoulders, but his heart still raises at the thought of what was under. Still, he does his best effort not to search for any shape under the water. Seeing more that what he was meant to, would be a distraction too great for him- and he wasn't going to stare without her permission. He thought of himself as a gentleman, and that wouldn't be gentleman-like at all.

This time, without the heaviness of his damp clothes making it difficult for him to move, he was enjoying much more the cool water. "Want to swim around?"

Emma shook her head, refusing. "Do you think I had a pond in the tower where I could learn to swim in?"

Killian sighed. "You do have a lot to learn, huh? I could teach you."

"You could, someday when we're actually dressed." She said, laughing slightly.

"Aye, you're right about that." He told her, nearing her a little, offering Emma a smirk. "After all, there are activities I would very much prefer doing, since we're all alone and naked."

He's teasing her, however her expression is blank. Her brow furrows deeply. "What do you mean?"

Killian freezes at the question, staring at her in surprise until he notices that the girl was locked up since she was _eight_. There was no way her parents had given her the talk before she had been taken away from them.

"Well, um..." He took a hand through his hair, not knowing what to say. "When two people... oh, bloody hell, Swan, I am _not_ going to explain to you how babies are made."

* * *

They lost track of time as they were inside the water, perhaps they were an hour there, perhaps a little less or a little more. However, after a long while, they decided that it was time to get out of there. Killian went out first, Emma turning around as he dressed himself up. He caught her peaking at him one moment after he had pulled his pants up; she'd turned around and looked away quickly as soon as she noticed he was watching her. A smirk showed at his face. At least he knew he wasn't the only one struggling with trying not to look more than he should. Once he was all dressed up, he told Emma it was safe to look, and that he would go and look for wood, leaving Emma and his temptations to stare at her behind.

Feeling all fresh and relaxed because of the water, Killian and Emma agreed that they deserved a rest from all of the walking. They couldn't be too far away from the town, and both were exhausted from all of their walking. So, they spent the day sitting there, keeping the fire alive as they stared at how the sun got farther and farther away, and the sky went from a deep orange to a dark blue. They remained close to the fire and close to one another, keeping themselves warm as the temperature slightly dropped.

"Do you think it'll take us too long to get out of here?" Emma wondered once they were already surrounded by darkness.

"I don't think so." Killian shook his head, thinking they probably had already walked more than half of their path. "Perhaps a day or two more of walking. What, tired already of having me as your company?"

He smiled at her with amusement, thinking that he actually was quite far from getting tired of the blonde girl. He felt quite pleased when he saw her shake her head as a no.

"I want to know how the rest of the world is. I have so much left to learn, I wish..." Her words faltered, as if she was embarrassed of saying her wish out loud. "I wish I could see all of the things I've missed all of these years, I wish I could go around the world and see everything."

"Be patient, love." Killian told her. He couldn't help but to feel pleased at the thought that he might as well be the most fitting person to actually fulfill her wish. With the Jolly Roger, he could take her anywhere she wanted to go. However, he was missing something important, something that made it difficult to actually do so: time. Time with her was limited, the moment he left her with her prince, their time together would be over. "We'll get out of here soon, and during the time we have left together, I'll make sure you'll enjoy the things you missed as much as I can. Soon I'll show you my ship, and believe me, she'll be the finest ship you'll ever see in your life. You'll have the cabin with the best view to the ocean, I'll even show you how I sail her."

The idea seemed to be a good one for Emma, who gave Killian a wide smile, the kind of smile that lit her entire face up.

"I'd love to." She said cheerfully. "I wish I could've been able to go around the world just like you. I mean, you've even told me you went to a realm where time doesn't pass. That's... _amazing_. How was that all like?"

Her tone was filled with curiosity, and from that moment, they once more lost track of time, with her asking him more and more about his adventures and his lifestyle as a pirate, and him telling her all about his journeys through the seas, and his adventures in Neverland. Emma seemed to be amazed by the pirate, staring at him as any child would stare at their parents as they told them fantastic tales right before putting them to bed. As time passed while he spoke, they laid down on the grass, getting themselves comfortable and, unconsciously, Killian wrapped his arm around her shoulders just like he had the night before, pulling her close to him. Emma didn't make any objections, perhaps too engrossed in the pirate's words to even notice.

"I wish I could see all of that." Emma finally said with a sigh, and she pressed her hand on his chest to help herself raise up slightly, being able to see his face directly. She seemed uncertain, perhaps a little nervous. "Maybe you could take me to one of your adventures, when all of this is over... I mean, of course, that's only if you ever wish to visit me again."

He saw her fear of him rejecting her, and he couldn't help but smile.

"I'll be more than pleased to take you on an adventure with me." He spoke, the idea cheering him up, however, he had to be realistic: it wasn't as if he could just take a princess to his ship with him. "But then, you're a princess, and I doubt your future husband will enjoy you going on a vacation with a devilishly handsome pirate as myself."

The words left his mouth bitterly. Emma shook her head.

"Me getting married to him doesn't mean he's going to own me." She said in a slightly upset tone, brow furrowing.

"Aye, love, but I'm sure going to trips with me isn't what's expected of a princess. He'll probably want you at his side, going to balls and royal meetings as his fine lady." He told her, and saw the disgust on her face.

"If you think I'm going to become the prince's lapdog, then you're wrong, Hook! I'll make sure I'll have the freedom of going out when I want to and with who I want to." Emma exclaimed.

Killian laughed softly.

"Hush, love, I never said you would become that. You're too fierce and stubborn for that." He told her, and it was the truth. That woman could have the world on the palm of her hand if she wanted to. An idea popped into his head: "Look, this is what we'll do- After getting you to your prince, I'll still have some unfinished business with your parents. I can take you with me, that way you'll get to see them again. It's a long trip, perhaps a month or more."

His heart stopped for a second as his saw her face- smile wide and bright, eyes filled with emotion at what he thought was perhaps the idea of seeing her parents again. Her smile then faltered and her mouth opened, however no sound came out. She took a deep breath.

"Look, Killian, you've been too good to me and... I've been wanting to tell you something for quite a while already." She spoke carefully, and Killian raised an eyebrow at her with curiosity. She seemed hesitant, like she didn't know how to pronounce the words, and then, after what felt like an eternity, she slowly spoke: "Thank you. For everything you've done."

"You don't have to thank me, love." He replied, wondering if that was actually what she had meant to say to him. He was pretty sure it wasn't.

* * *

"You may call me insane, but I'm half glad that the horse fled." Emma spoke, walking next to Killian. "I mean, it's kind of pretty around here. We wouldn't have been able to see this much of the forest if we weren't on foot."

They had left the pond earlier that day and now, several hours later they were continuing on their way, between trees, green bushes and red flowers.

"Aye, love, though if I'm completely honest, I hope it doesn't take us much longer to get to the town. I'd do anything to get a proper meal, and a proper sleep on a soft bed." Killian replied, and Emma laughed softly.

"So, you were serious when you told me a few days ago that we would share a decent meal once we arrived there?" Emma asked with a smile.

"Ah, I'm not one to break my promises." Killian told her. Though yes, he had been enjoying way too much her company those past days, he wished they would get to the civilization already. He would take her to see the little houses, the shops and of course, his beloved Jolly Roger. "When we get there, I'll make sure that's the first thing we do."

As they walked, Killian noticed how Emma kept on looking down at the ground, which was decorated all around with flowers, and he guessed this was probably the prettiest place they had stumbled upon to while they were in the forest. The flowers were roses, and he wondered if she'd ever had one of those in her hands. Probably yes, but that should've been perhaps even more than twenty years ago.

He stopped for a second and kneeled down. He could feel the blonde's gaze on him, as he carefully plucked out the rose he believed was the prettiest.

"What are you doing?" He heard her ask, and he rose up with a smirk, as he looked at how her eyebrows raised in curiosity. Killian took a few steps towards her, offering her the flower. She took it, face showing surprise at Killian's action. "What's this for?"

"I may be a pirate, but I know how to treat a princess." Killian said, making a small curtsy at the girl with an amused smile.

Emma laughed. "Why, thank you then." She said between laughs, and her next move was something Killian hadn't expected: she tip-toed, to press quickly her lips to his cheek as a thank you. He stared at her, bewildered, and Emma seemed to notice the look on his face, shy smile on her face. She then turned around quickly, to keep on walking.

He followed her, watching her movements as she took the rose up to her face to smell it.

"This reminds me of a book I had, back there in the tower." She spoke and he noticed a glimpse of sadness in her eyes. "It was about my mom- it wasn't as exact as having my parents tell the story to me, but I remember the book talked about how the queen had given my mom a poisoned apple, and her friends, the dwarves, laid her on a bed of roses, put her in a coffin made of crystal and carried her into the forest. And then my dad gave her true love's kiss, and she awoke from her curse."

This made Killian's eyebrows raise. "The queen gave you a book about your parents? How nice of her." He said with a snort, not seeing the point in doing such a thing. Emma nodded.

"There were multiple books there. Some I didn't know, while others I remembered my mom would read them to me right before I went to bed. During my first years in the tower, I'd read them all over and over again. And my favorite one, back then, was of course the one about my parents. It was like having a part of them there with me, in the tower." She explained to him, her tone sad and her gaze lost in the flower she held. After a little while, a laugh came out from her lips. "Back then I had no idea of why she had left those there for me, but I read them all day long. And I imagined to be one of those princesses, that someone would rescue me too. I'd imagine a prince, like in the tales, strong and brave that would come up to my room and kiss me, and then carry me away from the tower.

Killian let out a laugh at the thought of young little Emma, daydreaming about a prince that existed only in her mind.

"And instead, you got yourself a quite handsome pirate, huh, love?" Killian smirked. "I think you got something way better than what you had imagined."

Emma chuckled slightly, and then bit down on her lip.

"Being honest, it was kind of disappointing." She told him.

"Ouch, Swan, that hurts." Killian spoke, not too serious about it. He knew he wasn't at all the type of guy Emma would have expected her savior to be.

"Oh, don't get all dramatic on me, Hook." She spoke, rolling her eyes slightly. "You've been wonderful, but I just... I had expected to find-

"Love." He completed her sentence. "True love."

"Exactly." Emma smiled slightly at his understanding. "However, I'm glad having as company a pirate like yourself."

"Oh, and not just a pirate- a captain too." Killian added. "And don't forget, the most fearsome of all."

"I doubt that." Emma laughed.

"Don't underestimate me, love. Believe me, many begged and trembled in fear whenever they had to face my wrath." He replied.

"Oh, really?" Emma asked, her tone indicating that she didn't believe his words at all.

He held out his right hand at her. "See these rings? They all once belonged to someone I killed. For example, there once was this sailor that drank my wine. I drowned him for it." Killian continued on telling her the stories his rings held, stories of how he would execute the men that wouldn't follow his orders, or did something he didn't like. Emma stared at him with slight shock, however, he didn't see fear in her eyes.

"Well, you were mean." That was the only thing she said in reply.

"Aye, that I was." He said, noticing too late he had spoken in past instead of present.

"Want my honest opinion?" She said, thoughtful. "Deep down, I don't think you're half as bad as you say you are."

Those words shocked him.

"What makes you think that?" He asked.

"You rescued me."

Killian raised an eyebrow. He had thought her to be smart. That was what made her believe him not to be a bad person? A good action, made for selfish reasons?

"I had my motives." He replied.

"I know." Emma said with a nod. "But the past few days, I've noticed you're more than just the revenge you're seeking out for. I think deep down, you have a good heart."

Killian stared at her, bewildered for a few seconds.

"Swan, I've stolen, I've killed, I've done terrible things for more than a century. I doubt I fit into the description of someone who has a good heart." He spoke, slightly irritated.

"Nothing is going to change what you've done, but you can change your future." She spoke, and there she was again, sermonizing him just like she had done two nights ago. "I think you're a good person, who's been lonely and has been through though things. But then, all of this ruthless captain act you've put on you did it in the name of love. Or, actually, of a lost love. A person capable of loving so much, can't be that bad deep down."

It bothered him quite much how the girl believed that she knew already all about him (and it bothered him even more that her words always made him doubtful).

"Alright, love, enough with talking about this." He stopped her -she sighed at his words-, and thought about something else to talk. "You said a few minutes ago that you didn't know back then why the queen left you those books. You do know now?"

"I can guess." Emma replied. "All of those stories, including my mother's, had something in common: all of them had princesses rescued from some kind of danger. As I grew up, I saw the years keep on passing by and I remained there, trapped. I stopped seeing the books as a sign of hope. I began thinking that I would never be like those women, I would never beat the queen, just like my parents had. Those books, including the one about my parents, were there to mock me. Everything I saw them, everything I read those love stories as I remained there, not having anyone who could come and safe me... It infuriated me."

The words reminded Killian the bookstand he had seen in the tower, how the books seemed all ripped apart, filled with dust.

"And so you tore them apart." He spoke, and Emma seemed impressed.

"You saw them?" Emma asked, to which he nodded.

"You don't have to worry anymore, love. You're free now, and soon you'll break the curse."

"I suppose you're right." Emma sighed. "I'm on my way towards my happily ever after, huh?"

Those words, happily ever after, sounded bitter in Killian's ears. Perhaps it was because it made him imagine that woman in the arms of a prince- _her_ prince, the one who would save her.

* * *

That thought doesn't leave his head for the rest of the day. It stays at the back of his head even later that night, as they lay down side by side, staring at the darkened sky. It seemed like they had gotten used already to sleeping that way, enjoying the other's presence against them. Killian wondered what she thought about that. Was she still accepting to sleep so close to him because she wanted to seek out for warmth, or something else? Because he knew very well, the last thing he thought of as he wrapped his arm around her was to keep himself warm.

He doesn't understand quite well what's been happening to him: he spends little time thinking of the things that would usually matter most to him, and instead he wastes his time with her on his mind.

The words escape his mouth before he can even think them through:

"Swan, you think you'll be happy over there?"

"Why are you asking me that?" He hears her ask, doubt in her voice.

"Last night you told me you wanted to see the world." He began to speak, "Do you think you'll be able to have that? I don't know how much freedom you'll be able to get in a castle."

Emma remained silent for a moment.

"It doesn't matter." She finally spoke. "I'll think about the details later. What matters now is that you take me to him, and he kisses me before the time runs out."

"And what if his kiss doesn't work?" Killian asked; it seemed as if that night his mouth had disconnected with the rational part of his brain.

"It _has_ to work." She replied. "What makes you think the kiss won't work?"

"Swan, I just don't believe true love would work like that."

"Then, how does it work according to you?" She asked sharply.

"I don't know, but you haven't even met him. He's paying people to rescue you for him, does that sound like love to you? Because, love in general doesn't work that way, leave alone true love."

There was a silence. He could feel her fingers nervously playing with his shirt.

"You have to be wrong about that." Emma spoke stubbornly. "I'll die if you're right."

"There has to be another way." Killian insisted. He refused to believe that the blonde's destiny depended on nothing but the kiss of a stranger.

"Well, I can't take any chances." She replied. "If he's the closest thing to love I have, then that'll do."

Killian remained quiet. Was the prince the closest thing she had?

He felt attracted by the woman, there was no point in denying it. But being her true love? That was too much for him. Emma was lovely, not only were her looks that made him enjoy so much her company. But, after so many years rejecting the idea of finding happiness with someone, thinking that this was anything more than just attraction seemed crazy to him.

And even if he wanted it to be more, the girl had said it herself earlier that day: She had expected a prince, perhaps a knight; that was what the tales always spoke of. When had it happened that the bad guy, the pirate who had killed hundreds of people, could just kiss a princess, save her and live happily ever after? Please, the mere thought was just absurd. His happy ending had vanished the moment the crocodile took his Milah away.

No, the princess wouldn't find her true love with him.

But that didn't stop his heart to feel like it had begun to beat for the first time in centuries as he held her in his arms.

* * *

First there was a sudden movement. Then, the lack of the heat that just mere seconds ago had been hugging him tightly. That was what woke him up.

"Swan?" He murmured, half-asleep. Between the darkness and his eyes only slightly open, he wasn't able to see much. He didn't need to see her, though, to know she had stopped sleeping with her arms wrapped around him. Without even thinking about it, he extended his good arm to seek her out, wishing she would return back to her previous position. He assumed she had moved in her sleep, but as he extended his arm, his fingers found nothing more than cold grass.

He rubbed his eyes with a grunt, and in fact, after blinking a few times he saw that Emma wasn't there. Where the hell was this woman going to in the middle of the night? Her attitude during the night had always seemed somewhat strange to him, but he had never put much thought about it, imagining sleepless nights because of her nightmares. But now, not putting much thought to it was not an option. He had to find the girl, and ask her for an explanation.

He got up to his feet, walking through the trees he could barely see because of the darkness. _Bloody hell._

"Swan!" He exclaimed, hoping to get a reply. It was too dark to see anything, and with every second that passed with her gone, his mind seemed to betray him more and more. What if someone had taken her? What if, and that was the scariest idea of all, she was just running away from him?

It didn't matter. He would find her.

He hadn't been walking for more than a couple of minutes when he heard footsteps. He instinctively called out for her. "Swan, is that you?!"

Almost immediately, he noticed it had been a foolish thing to do. The sound was too quick, too heavy. It sounded more like an animal.

He felt blind in the darkness, but that didn't keep him from quickly pulling his sword out. He remained still, hoping to find where the sound what coming from and, more importantly, what was causing it.

It didn't take him too long to find out.

Killian wasn't able to see what he was facing against, in the blink of an eye he felt something strong lashing out at his left side, so strong that left him without air, head hitting the ground hard and leaving him dizzy.

For several seconds, he felt as if all of his senses had been blocked, and it was not until he heard a sound, a grunt, and the noise reminded him of a rabid dog -a huge one, actually- that was able to snap out of it.

When he opened his eyes, he saw nothing but blurry darkness. He felt pain on his left side, a heat that dripped down from where he had been hit and dropped onto the floor. Whatever had hit him, it had teared his skin.

 _Emma._

The thought that she might be in danger of being attacked by that thing, gave him the strength to try to stand up, with a wince of pain. But then something suddenly forced him back on the ground again, head once more hitting the ground, and now he could feel it spinning round and round. The only thing that was still keeping him awake was the feeling of something stinging him; four, then eight sharp knives that pressed on his chest. And then, when he felt a hot breath on his face, he realized two things: one, that he had his eyes tightly shut, and two, that the thing was on top of him.

Trying to open his eyes, the first thing he saw were lots of large, blurry white spots right on top of him- that it didn't take him long to guess were sharp teeth grinning down at him. He couldn't make out much else of the thing, everything too black and blurry for him to see.

The last thing he saw, however, were a couple of huge irises, looking down at him furiously. And while his body finally gave in, his last thought was that it was curious how the beast's eyes were a familiar green color.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter was HUGE! Nearly three times as long as the previous chapters. But then, I wanted this to be a great chapter, since the moment I think most of you were waiting for is finally here! A lot of you had guessed the "beast" would be a dragon, and in my original ideas of this story I had imagined a dragon indeed, however I decided it was too cliché and plot-wise I didn't feel a dragon would fit, so I went for something more like a wolf-like type of creature. Anyway, I'm excited! Things will sure get more interesting now that the mistery about Emma's curse has been discovered (or, well, nearly discovered- we'll have to wait for Killian to wake up XD). And to one of the reviewers asking if we're going to get anything on Emma's POV- well, yes, dear, we are! This chapter was definitely a big one, so I'd love to see what you all thought about it, and what you'll think will happen next! Thank you all for reading, and have a great day.**


	9. Chapter 8: The Beast

**Chapter 8. The Beast.**

For the first time in quite a while, his dreams happened to be peaceful, more peaceful actually than his reality. He dreamt about his beloved ship, him on the rudder as the salty wind blew against his face. He could hear the loud sounds and curses of his crew working behind him; and right in front of him, was the bluest of seas. He took a deep breath, taking all of his surroundings in- _oh_ , how had he missed the sea. He felt a hand softly placed on his left arm.

"This place feels surreal." He turned to stare into green eyes, which stared back at him with joy. "May I...?"

He takes a step back, letting her take his place, and her hands were placed on the rudder firmly. "So... Where should I take us now, captain?" Emma asks, and he laughs in response.

He leans in, so close he was able to easily wrap his good arm around her waist, lips only inches from her right ear. "Turn slightly left, love." He spoke into her ear, and saw her do as she was told, "Good job, Swan. You'll be a fine sailor."

He felt her figure shake slightly as she laughed, and he wished he could stay there forever.

However, that was not the case.

Killian woke up with a start, a slightly painful sensation on his left side. As he opened his eyes, he felt completely disoriented, and he had to blink a couple of times for them to focus. Emma was there, right in front of him- hair messy and clothes more soiled than they ever were before, the lines on her forehead deeply marked, showing she was upset about something. Light filtered through the trees, and he felt his back pressed against a trunk. How had he gotten there?

"Swan, what the bloody hell is going on?" He inquired with confusion, making a grimace of pain as he tried to get up. The movement had provoked a sharp pain at his left side, and it wasn't too hard for Emma to sit him back down. Her hand pressed gently against his chest, softly pushing him, and as he felt the warmth of her palm against his skin, he noticed that nothing was covering his torso. He saw his jacket and shirt next to him, lying on the grass.

"I'm trying to clean up your wounds," Emma replied, offering him a smile as if trying to show him that everything was alright. However, he could read her well, and he saw sadness filling her smile. Killian noticed she was holding a damp piece of fabric on her hand, white except for a small bloodstain. He lowered his gaze to his torso, where he found little marks- not too deep cuts on his chest, eight to be exact, and he guessed those were the marks the beast had left him as its claws dug into his skin. And then, at his left side, where the pain that had awoken him came from, were four long cuts, deeper and bigger than the others. The skin there was swollen, and stained with dried up blood.

"What happened?" He continued to question her. He didn't remember much; he could recall having the beast right on top of him and then... darkness. He felt his memories of the previous night were more like distant dreams, just about to fall into oblivion. Did the beast run off? Had Emma been there? Had she been the one who saved him from it? He had so many questions, so many things that didn't make sense at all to him. "The beast, where did it go? Did it hurt you? Swan, where the hell were-"

As he spoke, Killian began to try and get himself up, just to have Emma once more push him, and he plopped down back against the tree.

"Stay calmed, Killian." She spoke to him softly. "If you keep on trying to move, I'll have to knock you unconscious, and I really don't want to. You've had enough blows for one day."

She laughed softly, and he didn't fail to notice there was something different about her laugh. He looked up and in fact, there they were, sad and slightly bloodshot eyes. Had she been crying?

He tried to analyze her face, feeling as if he was missing something, something important. What had really happened the previous night? Why had she been crying? He had to admit, though, even as they were red and puffy, Emma's green eyes seemed beautiful to him.

 _Green eyes._

He felt his mouth dropping, as he remembered the beast's eyes staring into him and everything seemed to dawn on him- every mystery surrounding the woman seemed to make more sense now. How had he been so blind all this time?

The fact that she always seemed to be tired, as if she hadn't slept at all during the nights; her continuous disappearances during the early mornings, her guilt at the people who had died facing the beast, the devoured deer... Even the horse, had it ran off because it had sensed Emma as a dangerous creature? The clues had been there all along, right in front of his nose.

"It... It was _you_!" Killian exclaimed, eyes wide open. Emma seemed taken aback.

"What?" She asked, baffled expression and slight fear in her voice.

"You've been lying to me all this time! You're the beast, aren't you?" He accused her, and she didn't need to confirm that he was right. He could read her so well, her terrified and ashamed look told him everything. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Emma's brow furrowed, seeming disgusted for a moment. "I tried to, of course! But what was I supposed to tell you?!" She exclaimed, "'Thanks for saving me, Hook; oh, by the way, don't freak out but I might one night end up killing you by turning into a seven feet tall beast at midnight.' Honestly, that's not an easy thing to admit."

"Well, I would've preferred actually knowing something like this could happen, instead of having a beast attacking me out of nowhere," Killian told him, and Emma remained quiet at his words, looking down with shame.

The look on her face, like she was beating herself up for it, made him wonder if he had been too harsh on her.

"Anyway, you've been quite good at lying to my face." He murmured, feeling his trust slightly hurt, however asking himself if perhaps it had been his mistake. Maybe what he had been feeling had blocked his judgement, made him overlook the fact that something had never been right with the princess. "You did such a good job in hiding this from me all this time. What failed last night?"

Emma was still looking down, as if too afraid or embarrassed to watch his face. She took a deep breath.

"I fell asleep. I hadn't slept in too long, I was so tired and... When I woke up, it was too late. I tried to get as far away from you as I could, but it wasn't enough... I failed." She spoke slowly, and he could hear the pain in her voice. "I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

Killian watched her carefully, not quite knowing how to feel. Angry? Perhaps she had lied to him, but he couldn't get mad at her- not like this, with her looking as if she could break down at any moment because of what had happened the previous night. Should he feel sad for her? Feel pity at her fate? He wasn't sure, he was too confused to know how to feel. There was too much new information to process, and there were still too many things left to understand.

He remembered something. She had managed to just hurt him, she hadn't killed him. Never, not once, had someone survived facing the beast. What had been different about him?

"How come you didn't kill me, anyway?" He inquired, seeing her wince slightly at the word ' _kill_ '.

As she looked up to him, he saw in her eyes that she didn't know the answer to the question. She was as clueless as he was.

"I don't know," Emma whispered, voice slightly breaking, and he could see her lower lip quivering. However, she took a deep breath, gaining control of herself. "Look, I need to take care of your wounds. We'll talk about this later."

Later? He had so much to ask, so many questions that needed to be explained soon. But then, he could see that she had tried too hard to hide this from him, and that now that her secret was out, it was extremely difficult for her to speak of it openly. So he decided to nod in response. He would give her time, let her speak of it when she felt ready.

For the next few moments, she gently rubbed the blood off his skin, cleaning up his wounds- every now and then it would hurt slightly, but it was bearable. He had suffered way worse things, however he could guess the bigger cuts would leave him a mark. As she worked up on cleaning him, he decided to do nothing more than to scrutinize her face, appreciating the way her brow furrowed and she bit down on her lower lip as she quietly focused on her task. What was happening to him? The woman had just lied to him, attacked him; and there he was, staring at her beauty.

"You hurt yourself too." He noticed, seeing a couple of small cuts on her arms.

Emma followed his gaze, and then shrugged, "Oh, this. It's really nothing. I did that while I tried to run, it was too dark to see and I hit some branches." She didn't give it much importance, "Now, hush, I need to focus."

After a little while, she finally put down the cloth, which now was quite stained, with a sigh.

"Take the bottle of rum out of my jacket, love." He told her, and she stared at him with curiosity.

"Are you going to drink that right now?" She raised an eyebrow at him, and Killian chuckled.

"I could very much use a drink, after all that's happened," Killian said, as Emma grabbed his jacket, searching for the bottle inside. "But no, love, I'm not going to drink. It's for the wounds. It'll disinfect them."

Emma gave him a perplexed look, pulling the bottle out. "Should I just pour it on the cuts?"

"Aye, love." Killian nodded, and clenched his teeth at the burning sensation the rum caused as she poured it down on his wounds.

"I think that's the best I can do." She said as she finished, and it endeared him seeing worry on her face, like she feared it wouldn't be enough.

"Thanks, love." Killian said and, trying to get rid of the tense feeling around the blonde, he gave her his usual smirk. "Will I survive?"

It didn't work as well as he thought. Emma just stared at him, still biting down her lip with anxiety. He chuckled.

"Don't worry, Swan." He reassured her. "Worse things haven't killed me, this sure isn't going to as well. I'll be fine."

"Okay..." She muttered, grabbing his shirt. She helped him put it back on, then his jacket.

"Swan, I don't blame you." He told her after a while, knowing the girl was still beating herself up for what had happened. "And you shouldn't blame yourself either. The only one to blame here is-"

Emma got up to her feet before he could finish his sentence.

"Think you can walk, Hook?" She asked him. The Emma from the previous day, who laughed and talked with him as if they were long-time friends, was completely absent.

Killian sighed, slowly rising up.

"Swan, it's my _legs_ that do the walking, not my chest. I'll be fine."

* * *

Emma had been affected by what had happened the previous night, that was for sure. It was clear in the way she walked, quick so she would remain in front of him and in silence, as if she tried to pretend she wasn't aware of his presence.

"Swan, are you okay?" Killian asked after quite a while of silent walking.

"I'm fine." She spoke, her tone stating otherwise.

"You can't fool me with that, lass. I know you." He fastened up his pace, catching up to be next to her. "And I told you not to blame yourself, so why are you still doing it?"

Emma stopped walking, turning to face him, green eyes furiously glaring at him. "I've killed hundreds of people during my time in that tower, and all of them were there just to try to help me. And now, I've hurt someone I care about. How do you think that makes me feel? Do you think it's easy to carry that burden?"

"Nothing has been your fault," Killian told her, not failing to notice her admitting she cared about him. "You're not to blame for the fact that the queen decided to ruin your life just to get back at your parents."

"You have no idea of what it's like, Hook." She told him, reassuming her walk.

Killian let out a sigh, quickly following her. "You should've told me, you know. I would've understood."

If there was something that made him feel slightly upset at her, that was it. He had opened himself to her, told her about his revenge, about Milah and the crocodile. And meanwhile, she had been lying to him all along, keeping a huge secret from him.

"I know." She said with a nod, "I just didn't want you to think of me as a monster."

"Well, you were wrong." Killian replied, "Because even after all that just happened, I still see you as nothing more than just plain, ol' Swan."

"Thank you." Killian's words seemed to make her more relaxed, and as she spoke she offered him a shy smile.

"I guess then the things you told me about your life in the tower were a little far from reality, huh?" He noted, wondering if he'd get the princess to speak of her curse.

"Right. Damsel in distress during the day, killer beast at midnight." She retorted bitterly.

"Well, your witch is a clever woman, that's for sure." He replied, thinking the irony of her curse. Every night there would be a door, a possibility to escape waiting for her, and the only thing that would hold her back would be herself.

Gazing at her, so beautiful in every possible way, he thought with a sigh that she had deserved better than that.

"And there's something I haven't told you yet..." She spoke, doubt in her voice.

"Go ahead, love." Killian reassuringly said.

"I lied to you, a few days ago. I do remember Regina's words, from when she took me to the tower." Emma confessed, "She told me that the tower would be my home, where I would live in solitude, away from everything I ever cherished. And when midnight struck, a door would appear, only to be opened by a human hand. A door I wouldn't ever be able to open, for I would turn into a beast at that exact hour. Said door would disappear the moment the first light of morning hit the tower, and that would be the time I would go back to being a human. And no one who ever tried to rescue me, no knight or prince, would be able to defeat that terrible side of me. She said, that within two decades, the exact moment I turned twenty-eight, her curse would reach its highest peak, and I would stop existing. All that would be left behind was the beast, unless before that time I got true love's kiss."

Killian froze at her words.

"You're not going to actually die, you're just going to..." He began to talk.

"Remain a beast forever." He heard the fear in Emma's tone.

Killian remembered she had told him she had less than a month left. She was running out of time, and no, they couldn't let something like that happen to her.

He gave her arm a caring squeeze.

"Don't worry, love." He comforted her, though he was slightly anxious as well at the thought of the short time she had left. Was the woman truly going to be saved? He thought of the prince. Would Emma just get to him, throw herself in his arms and share a kiss with him that would save her? He didn't know if his feelings were blocking his judgment once more, but he doubted it would be so.

"She's a cruel woman." She spoke with anger, "No one was actually supposed to rescue me, if it weren't for you I'd... I would have soon had to spend the rest of my days trapped there, as a beast."

"Aye, but magic always comes with a price, love." He told her, and then continued to speak, smirk on his face, "There'll always be something that doesn't go as planned, and it turns out that this time, the flaw in your witch's plan was, well, _me._ "

The true meaning of his own words dawned on him a few moments later. The only thing that had gone wrong with the queen's plan had been him. Why? What were the chances that he would be the only one to notice the window? How come no one else had seen it before? For almost twenty years, no one had gotten to the princess. And then there he was, with her on his side on their way out of the woods. And then was the fact that he had also been the only one to survive Emma's beastly side. What did all of that mean?

Killian had always believed in fate; and until not too long ago he believed his fate was to be the pirate he'd been for the last hundred years; his father leaving, his brother Liam dying, and then finally his love Milah dying as well, all of that had led him to be the man he was now. But then, everything that had happened since he reached that tower seemed to be fate's way of telling him that perhaps he could do something good with his life. He could save Emma.

He'd spent the last hundred years alone, he had flirted and even slept with countless women during that time. But not one of them made him feel something. But then, Emma was different, she seemed to make him forget about all the things that were wrong with him like no other woman ever would. And perhaps he had been wrong before. Perhaps what he felt was more than just attraction.

It wouldn't hurt anyone to try, he thought to himself.

"Swan, wait." He grabbed her arm, stopping her. She looked at him with curiosity.

"You might think I'm a madman, but..." He took a deep breath as he began to talk, "I think that if I was the one who was able to save you from your tower, then I might be able to save you from this curse as well."

And with those words spoken, he pressed his lips against hers. He acted quick, before she could even understand what he was saying; his hand pressed on her hair, pulling her to him, and her lips were even softer than what he would've imagined.

That kiss, however, didn't last more than a couple of seconds, since she pushed him off her with all of her strength, making him feel a sharp pain on his side.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She exclaimed with indignation, eyes wide open and taking a few steps back.

"I..." He spoke breathlessly, hand on his side as she had hit right where his wounds were. "I had wondered if that would work."

"Well, now you see it didn't, and still, that wasn't the proper way of doing something like that!" She retorted, clearly upset, "You're here because of your reward, so you should stick to just making sure that I get to _my_ prince safely. It's my only chance, and we can't continue on wasting time when we know that as long as I don't get to him I'm still jeopardizing the lives of anyone around me. So you should forget about whatever was it that made you think you could save me, because you won't."

And with that, she turned around and began walking, leaving him behind, still too shocked to follow.

* * *

Their journey was filled with an incredibly awkward silence. She had reassumed walking too fast as if to leave him behind, while he wasn't making much effort in speaking to the princess. Emma's words had been a little hurtful, so he thought it'd be the best to just leave her alone for the rest of the day.

Even later that night, sitting way too apart from each other, he could still see her being upset, staring absent-mindedly at the fire. Killian sighed.

"Swan, I guess I owe you an apology..."

"Don't." She spoke, turning her face to watch him, "You don't have to apologize for anything. It was a mistake, and it won't happen again."

How could he ever have thought he could break Emma's curse? True love, the greatest and rarest magic of all; it was impossible for him to have that with her. He had been a fool, and Emma's rejection only proved it. With every second that passed, the idea seemed more stupid to him.

Emma then surprised him by nearing him, kneeling right next to him.

"How are your wounds?" She asked, and Killian shrugged.

"I feel as fine as ever, love." He gave her a reassuring smile, however, he saw in her eyes that Emma wouldn't believe that unless she saw some proof.

And indeed, he was right, because soon she reached up to take his jacket off, throwing it on the grass, and then she did the same with his shirt.

"Why are you this eager in undressing me, love?" He smirked, because a part of him knew that he was not going to give in. He loved challenges, and this, this was the greatest challenge he had ever faced.

Emma rolled her eyes, and after she had taken the shirt off, she stared at his torso, frowning as she examined the wounds.

"It doesn't look as bad as this morning, that's for sure." She murmured, and handed him his shirt back.

"You know, I've heard it's easier to share body heat without clothes." He casually spoke, "Want to try that out?"

"We're not sharing body heat tonight, so I'd suggest you put that shirt back on." Emma said, "Unless you want to be freezing all night long."

Killian sighed, putting his shirt back on. Emma, meanwhile, moved to a tree a little more far from him than what he would have liked.

"What are you going to do tonight?" He wondered, now that he knew what was going to happen later that night.

"I'll leave a couple of hours before midnight, as always," Emma responded. "Don't worry, what happened last night won't happen again."

Killian snorted. "Do you think I worry about me? I worry about you. Will you be fine?"

"Hook, you maybe didn't know it before, but I've been doing this since you got me out of the tower." Emma told him, "I'll be fine. Now go to sleep."

"Sure you don't want any company meanwhile?" He suggested, and she shook her head.

"Go to sleep." Emma insisted.

"Fine." Killian said with a sigh, "As you wish, love."

* * *

Emma found herself sitting against a tree. She struggled against sleep, which was starting to threaten to close down her eyelids. She had to go now.

She turned around to see Killian, sleeping not too far from her. It was still slightly earlier than the normal time she would silently escape from the pirate, but that night she wanted to be as far from Killian as she could. She wouldn't let herself make the same mistake she had last night. Emma still couldn't stop feeling guilty whenever she looked at him.

When Killian came to rescue her, she had imagined he would kiss her like the heroes from her tales, her curse would be broken and she wouldn't have to deal with having to explain the side of herself that appeared at midnight. However, he turned out to be different than what she had expected, and she just couldn't bear to tell him what she really was. As they got to know each other, and she began to trust him more, she thought it would be the best to tell him the truth. She had tried to, a couple nights ago, as they laid down on the grass close to each other. However, as she opened her mouth to speak, the words seemed to have gotten stuck in her throat. She was too scared to see what he would think of her, and so she decided to keep on quiet about it.

All those nights away from her tower she had tried to be the most careful she could, fighting against sleep until she knew Killian was deeply asleep, and wouldn't notice her absence. But the previous night, she felt so tired and so comfortable, head resting on his chest, not because of the cold night anymore but because of the pleasure of being close to him, and the sound of Killian's heartbeat lulled her into sleep.

A couple of hours later she had woke up, drowned by fear, almost as if her subconscious was warning her that something was wrong. Panicked, she had gotten up and ran off as quick as she could. It wasn't long until she heard Killian calling out for her and then...

Midnight had come, and she hadn't gotten far enough from him.

Guilt filled her whole body once again. _You didn't kill him_ , she had to remind herself. _For the first time in your life, you didn't kill someone._

She had no idea of how she had done it. Emma could vaguely remember it, her on top of him, who seemed too small in comparison with what she had became. She smelled him, her meal for the night, and just as she was about to attack something stopped her. His face seemed... familiar, and for just a couple of seconds, watching him gave her a glimpse of herself- not the giant beast, but the princess. And that was enough.

When she woke up, back in her human form, she was far from him. Emma knew he was probably hurt, and that she had to get back to him, but for a long while, she wasn't able to stand. Something kept her body stuck to the ground, unable to move: horror. Horror at what she had done.

In the darkness, she slowly approached him. He was asleep, and she had to admit she was missing laying there, his arms around her.

Her feelings towards the pirate were complicated, indeed.

She thought of him as a handsome man, too handsome for her own good. The day she first saw him, her heart had jumped- there he was, her knight in shining armor, with blue eyes and a smirk she'd bet had hundreds of girls swooning over him. But then, he had almost immediately shown her that he had rescued her because of a reward, not because of love, and she realized he wasn't a guy she should be infatuated with. He was a pirate, cocky and with an awful past that had filled him with hate.

But as the days passed, he showed to be kind to her, making her feel that for the first time in twenty years she had someone that took care of her. They both began opening themselves up to the other, and she began noticing she was liking the pirate way too much. And by the way he treated her, she could guess he felt the same.

And then, he had kissed her, and still for some reason, her first instinct had been to pull away. It had been something unexpected, something she wasn't hoping to have at that moment- not when she was feeling terrified and ashamed at herself. She felt ashamed, at how he had trusted her, while all she had done was lie to him for nothing. Ashamed, because even after all she had done there he was, trying to save her. Afraid, at what she had done to him. At what she could do to him in the future.

Emma had told herself already that he wasn't the guy for her. How could he be? How could he be her true love when the only reason for him being there was getting his revenge? That's not what she believed true love to be, that wasn't like any romance she'd ever read from her tales.

And still, she pulled away because, deep down, she was too afraid to see the kiss failing.

However, now as she stared at his sleeping figure, she wondered if she had been too harsh on him. She wondered if perhaps she had been wrong, perhaps now his revenge wasn't his only reason to be there with her. Why else would he have tried to kiss her, why else would he have thought he was the one to break her curse?

It didn't matter. He was a pirate, she was a princess. How could something like that work? Emma's only shot at saving herself was to find her prince, and Killian was distracting her. She remembered Killian's words, always making her doubt about the prince that was waiting for her. She just had to hope the prince to be kind, kind enough for her to fall for him and break her curse.

She couldn't afford more distractions, not when time was running out. Not when she could hurt him again.

She was certain of what she had to do. Thankfully, a few hours ago when she had checked his wounds, Killian hadn't put his jacket back on. Blindly, she looked for the piece of clothing with her hands, a couple of moments touching nothing but grass, until finally her fingers felt leather. She grabbed the jacket, and her right hand searched for one of the inner pockets, where he kept the rum. Early that day, as she looked for it to heal him, she had felt something else in the pocket. A little bag, which's contents clinked together as her fingers had brushed against it.

She could guess what was inside, and she knew she'd need it for what she wished to do. Carefully, she took the bag out once she found it, doing it slowly and trying to make the least sound as possible. This was robbing him, but she didn't have any other choice. He had helped her so much, been so good to her, and now she was going to return the favor: making sure she never hurt him again.

With sadness, she stared at where the pirate's figure was -thinking it was a shame it was too dark to actually stare at him-, and she felt tempted to kiss his cheek as a goodbye, but didn't in fear of it waking him up. She placed the jacket back where she had found it, and slowly rose up.

Giving him one last look, she hoped she would be far enough from him at the time he woke up. She knew he would look for her, she just hoped she would be too far for him to catch her.

 _It's for the best_ , she had to tell herself, as she turned her back on the pirate and walked away.

* * *

 **A/N: This was quite an eventful chapter! We got Killian finally learning about Emma's curse, a way too short kiss (bwahaha), Emma rejecting him and then finally her leaving! N** **ow with the reveal of Emma's secret, we're finally getting some advance concerning the plot, and things are sure starting to go more smoothly now. Thank you all for your reviews and positive feedback for the last chapter, all of that is what gives me inspiration and what makes this story possible.** **You're all amazing, and I love you all! And now with nothing else to say, I just hope you have a great day/night and I'll see you next week!**


	10. Chapter 9: More Trouble

**Chapter 9. More Trouble.**

It wasn't much of a surprise that he found himself to be completely alone as he woke up. Lying on his back, his face turned back to where he had seen Emma for the last time the previous night, sitting against a tree. Now, however, he felt calmed despite the princess' absence. The mysteries that surrounded the blonde had finally became crystal clear; no longer he believed there were nightmares making her stride off into the woods during the early mornings, no illness making her unable to rest, leading her right into her death. No, it was just Emma, cursed into a monster; doing anything in her power to not to kill _him_. It was a tad unsettling, but he trusted the lass.

Killian sat up; light began to filter through the trees, so he guessed Emma must've probably already gone back to her usual self, back as a princess. The revelation of the tower's terrible beast's true nature was still something quite difficult to fully digest for him. Everything everyone thought they knew about the princess and her curse had been entirely wrong, and he had still so many questions to ask - yet, he didn't want to force her into speaking about it.

Besides, how was he supposed to ask things like that to her when Emma barely even spoke to him? All because of that brilliant idea of his. With a frown, he thought to himself that he definitely had to stop acting so impulsively. How could he even think such a sudden action would come out right? Kissing her like that, claiming to believe he could save her from the curse.

He had never heard something as foolish as that.

Being entirely honest, he knew she'd been right to reject him. The princess, with her beauty and fiery personality, had placed him under some kind of spell; blinding him as he found himself having feelings for someone for the first time since Milah's death. He'd gotten carried away; how couldn't he, when he'd spent a hundred years drowning in his sorrow and hatred, yet after less than a week of being around the blonde, it all easily faded to the background. It was foolish, indeed, to think the princess could find her love in a pirate. She deserved better than that; and he, he was well aware that starting a romance with royalty couldn't be his priority.

He had just one priority, the reason why he'd came to rescue her. Getting his revenge. And since he'd found himself attracted to Emma, his desire to kill Rumplestilskin had faded into the background - and he couldn't let that princess drive him away from his sole purpose.

Emma was supposed to be only his way of getting to the crocodile, and as soon as he left her in her castle, safe and sound with her prince, he'd be headed to claim his reward to the King and Queen.

Yet, the words ' _with her prince_ ' still sounded bitter to him.

And while Killian hoped he could easily listen to himself, leave those stupid feelings behind; he knew was already in too deep. And he'd never been one to give up that easily.

His chest still was hurting; and with his right hand he managed to unbutton his shirt. Looking down at his own torso, the wounds still looked pretty nasty, though they were definitely better than the previous day.

The sun began to slightly warm the morning up, and Killian guessed the princess would be back any moment now. They probably were already pretty close to exiting those woods, which made him feel slightly relieved. They had already wasted too much time.

He put the shirt back on, then with his hook he reached up to take his coat, quickly putting it on. For a second, he thought it felt lighter, slightly different. Yet it wasn't until he decided to have a drink as he waited, that he noticed something was missing; good hand in his pocket, fingers finding just the bottle. He knew, for sure, that he always put his money in that pocket - right with the rum; the two most precious possessions he carried with him.

 _Bloody Swan._

He didn't have to think it through; he knew it was her. It was impossible to think a thief had appeared in the middle of the night, taking his money and leaving without a trace.

The princess had checked that very pocket the previous day, she surely had noticed the small bag filled with golden coins. And there could only be one reason why she'd be stealing from him like that.

She planned to go on without him.

Once more, he had trusted her, and Emma had proven to be a sneaky and deceiving woman. Rising up to his feet quickly, he knew he couldn't lose any time. He had no idea of how far had the princess gotten already, perhaps she even already had gotten too far from him. It didn't matter, Killian wasn't going to stop going after her. He had no intentions of stopping until he found her.

His steps were long ones, curses leaving his mouth with every step he took. _That bloody woman._

How stupid of her! Anyone could easily follow her; figure out who she was and take her. Anything could happen to her, and he wouldn't be around to make sure Emma remained safe.

He felt furious at her. After all; she for sure hadn't hesitated to leave without him, probably to run into the arms of her future prince.

Since when had she intended to leave him? Why? Because of the curse? Because of the kiss? The lass was definitely difficult to decipher.

Just as he had guessed, that afternoon he finally left behind the green sea of trees. Finally, he found a dirt road, one that led him straight to the town. The more he walked, he was surrounded by more and more houses; all sorts of people roaming around the small town, yet there were no trace of those blonde hairs he very much liked.

She was a smart lass, that he knew. She would've easily managed to learn the way to her destination; and anyone she asked for directions, would've surely led her to the port.

The port was a crowded place as usual; people coming and going, walking in and out of the ships. He tried to look around, see if he could find her around there. There was no trace of her; and he wondered if perhaps she had already hopped into a ship, and sailed away.

After a couple of moments of staring around the place, he figured the woman wasn't around there. All he had left was to ask if perhaps someone had seen her.

He noticed, then, a fisherman sitting by the docks. He surely had been sitting there for quite a while now; and maybe, just maybe, he could tell him if he'd seen the princess around there.

"Have you by any chance seen a lass around here today, mate?" Killian asked as he approached him, "Blonde hair, green eyes, about this height," he reached his hand up to the level of his eyebrows. _Ridiculously beautiful_ , he added mentally.

The man shook his head, "D'you think I pay attention to every woman that comes to this place?" he snorted, "Can't help you with that; however, if you're looking for some good fish to cook for dinner, you're in the right place then. Mine are the best around here."

He pointed at the couple of buckets next to him, filled with all sorts of fishes. Killian rolled his eyes, sighing with exasperation. He was about to leave, when the fisherman spoke:

"A lovely young woman did come around here earlier today," he seemed thoughtful, "I believe she asked if there were any ships that were sailing right away to King Edgar's kingdom."

That was Emma, for sure. "And what did you tell her?" Killian asked.

"Well, I told her that yes, there was. It sailed about half an hour ago, perhaps; I have no idea if she managed to leave with 'em."

Killian cursed to his insides. "Thanks, mate."

If she'd left with that ship, then the woman had succeeded in leaving him behind. However, he didn't worry much about that. He'd follow her, he even could easily get there before she did. The Jolly would certainly be faster than the ship she was sailing in.

There were other things that worried him. Like what would happen when midnight struck, and the entire crew of the ship suddenly began to seem awfully tasty to the princess?

Had the woman went completely mad? Or had she figured out a way to avoid eating everyone around her?

There would be only one way to figure that out.

Killian rushed to his ship, looking magnificent in comparison to all the other ships. As he got into the ship, he found a man, of short height, working on moping the deck. Killian smiled; he was just the man he wanted to see.

"Smee!" he called, watching the man turn around quickly, dropping the mop and, as he held his red beanie to his head, rushed to him, "Gather the crew, Smee. We're to part right away."

"Captain, you're here!" Smee exclaimed, stopping in front of Killian, "We've been waiting for you to return for a while, we were starting to worry. Not that we ever thought you'd fail in your task, sir, of course- but wait, where's the girl?"

Killian surely didn't feel like explaining to the man that he had lost the princess – even worse, she had ran away from him.

"Well, aren't you chatty today," Killian rolled his eyes, and then continued to speak, in a stern voice: "I just gave you an order, and if you and the rest of my crew aren't here in half an hour, I will part without all of you."

He didn't need to tell Smee twice, who with an 'aye, captain!' ran off the ship, looking for the others.

And with that, Killian headed off to his cabin. He needed a long bath. And more rum.

* * *

The sea was definitely something new for Emma. It took her by surprise, how her stomach turned the moment the ship sailed. Almost immediately, the princess was convinced that the sea wasn't for her. However, as the hours passed, she found the sickening feeling fading to the background as she got used to the ship's swinging motions. And by the moment her journey on the ship was about to end, she actually felt comfortable. Something about the salty smell, the movement of the ship being rocked by the waves felt soothing to her.

She would've liked to be able to say that it wasn't because it reminded her of the pirate.

Part of her, felt upset as well. She couldn't help but remember about their talks; how they'd agreed he'd show her his ship, take her to as many places as she wanted to while they headed towards her parents' kingdom. The idea had completely thrilled her, yet it would stay just like that - an idea, and nothing else.

Part of her wondered if perhaps she had made a mistake by leaving.

 _No, she hadn't_. She'd made up her mind; and time was running out for her. She couldn't afford to keep on wasting time; no, she had to break the curse, and her only way of doing that was going to her prince.

Emma felt relieved when after little more than a day of sailing, the ship was docked. After all, it was a miracle that she had managed to go through the whole trip without any... _accidents_. Plus, the men on the ship looked at her like she was some piece of meat - it was a good thing she'd bribed the captain into allowing her to sleep in a cabin all by herself.

So, she was the first one to walk out of the ship and step into the firm, steady ground; not wanting to waste any time. Taking a couple of steps as she looked around, she wondered at which direction the castle would be. It wouldn't be too hard to find the way towards the castle; she'd only have to ask...

"Swan!"

Emma froze right where she was as she heard his voice. Before she even turned her head around, she knew perfectly who had spoken that word, that small nickname she'd grown so fond of during the last week.

And there he was, the pirate she'd been sure she wouldn't come across ever again, walking towards her. He looked even better, more rested perhaps. He didn't look too happy, however, brow furrowed to the point his eyebrows seemed to be about to meet.

"Well, you're not that good at escaping from me, huh?" Killian casually spoke as his eyes roamed through her, an eyebrow raising as his eyes went up to meet hers. "And you even got a new dress. You certainly gave my coins a good use."

 _Oh, you have no idea, Hook._

"I'll pay you back," she quickly responded, her eyes dropping to her own figure. A new, light blue dress had replaced the old one - which after all those days in the woods had turned into a light brownish color, and had been slightly teared up. She'd used one of his coins to buy it; and Emma couldn't help but feel slightly guilty at the fact that she had been stealing from him. Yet her guilt quickly faded to the background, annoyance stepping in because _this was completely ruining her plan!_ "What are you doing here?"

"Followed you right when I figured out you had escaped, and well, here you have me," he shrugged, "Told you, Jolly's a wonder. Faster than any other ship."

How would he say it? Ah, yes. _Bloody pirate._

She hadn't considered the possibility that he would be able to get there before her. "Hook, I have to go," Emma spoke with a sigh, "I don't want to lose any more time."

"Let's go, then."

"Actually..." Emma began to speak, annoyance showing in her voice.

"You had planned to continue on with your journey without me?" He finished the sentence, eyebrow raised, "Yeah, I had figured that out already."

"Then why are you here?" She told him with exasperation, "Look, I managed to get here all alone, I don't need your help to find a castle."

"Do you even know which way to go?"

"I can figure it out on my own!" Emma exclaimed, turning around to leave; however, the cold grip of his hook stopped her. _Why did he had to be so insistent?_

"Whether you like it or not, I'm going with you. I rescued you, I take you to your prince. It's as simple as that," his blue eyes buried into hers, his features stern, "You, princess, should learn a bit about gratitude. The least you owe me is allowing me to come with you."

His tone took her aback; for the first time Emma saw a glimpse of what Killian probably looked like in his role of captain, giving orders no sailor dared to disobey. She knew there was no point in trying to fight him.

And with a deep sigh, she spoke: "Lead the way, then."

* * *

"I believe you owe me an explanation."

Emma sighed; she'd honestly had been hoping she could avoid giving him explanations. They had decided to walk, since horses still seemed to be pretty much terrorized at Emma's mere prescense. The castle wasn't that far away, on foot it would be a day away at most. Despite that they had been going for some while already, neither of them had bothered to try and start some conversation up. While the pirate was probably upset over her running away, the princess felt upset over the fact that he had ruined her plans of running away. And neither of them seemed to be feeling too chatty because of that.

But, apparently, curiosity seemed to be stronger than the pirate's will to not to speak to her.

"Ask away," Emma told him.

"Tell me, exactly, why would you even think it was a good idea to leave?" Killian spoke. His face remained straight, yet Emma could sense some bitterness in his voice.

Emma shook her head. What was she supposed to tell him? That she had gotten scared? Or that part of her couldn't help but just be upset at him? Because he shouldn't have been there, rescuing her, in the first place. He was just a pirate looking for revenge; if only she had been rescued by someone who looked for love! She wouldn't be counting the days she had left anymore. She wouldn't have hurt him. He'd screwed up her plans right from the beginning, and he even had the guts now to say he believed he could be the one to save her from the curse!

There had been a certain attraction, and maybe, just maybe, if things had been different, that attraction would've turned into something more. But now, she was running out of time - and he was just a distraction.

"I don't need someone watching over me," she answered effusively, "I'm good on my own."

Not even she would've believed her own words.

And Killian's expression showed he didn't believe her either. However, for some reason, he decided not to insist.

"How did you manage to... not to have any incidents?" Killian carefully asked, and Emma immediately understood what he was referring to, "I had truly believed that ship wouldn't make it back to land."

Emma untied the small bag she had hanging from her belt; throwing it over to Killian, who caught it by the straps with his hook, eyeing the bag with a curious look.

"I spent half of your money buying this. It was expensive, but worth it," she explained to him, staring at the pirate as he opened the bag, looking at the grey dust inside of it, "I wouldn't breathe too close to it if I were you."

A couple of days before, while she ran away from him, terror had invaded her.

She'd finally stumbled upon a village; excitement and curiosity filled her, as she began to explore places unknown to her. But soon enough, reality kicked in - so many lives, innocent ones, surrounded her. Many lives that could fade away as soon as midnight arrived.

With Killian, she'd most times managed to run off, out of his reach, before midnight. As she remained on her own, away from any other living creatures, it was almost as if being in a dream. She could understand what was happening, remember who she was. But it was the hunger... She lost herself in her hunger, her... Her desire to kill. It was a miracle that the pirate had survived that night, a miracle she couldn't understand too well; but Emma knew she couldn't let the lives of anyone surrounding her depend on miracles.

How was she supposed to keep on with her journey, with no wide, empty space to run to as soon as she turned into that terrible version of herself?

Luck, however, seemed to be on her side; as she stopped one of the villagers, asking if there was any place she could get something to eat. The man pointed her to a nearby marketplace, and there, after finding a new dress, Emma stumbled upon a small stand. An old, white-haired woman sat there, beside a small sign that read: ' _FORTUNE READING, MAGIC POTIONS AND MORE_ '.

Magic! That had to be it, right?

"Excuse me," Emma had approached the old lady, speaking in a low tone, so no one else would hear her words, "Would you happen to have anything that could be used to stop... Some sort of dangerous creature. A big one, actually."

"Yes, yes; I have all sorts of potions that could be used against any type of creature! What do you fancy?"

"Anything... _Not lethal_ ," Emma had told her, "Preferably something temporary, as well."

The woman hesitated for a moment, to then show her a bag that contained a good amount of what she called 'Ground Poppy Dust'. Very rare, hence very expensive. And while Emma didn't knew if it would work, it's not like she had any other choice.

"Sleeping Powder. It's very rare, apparently. From a land called Oz. Anyone who inhales enough of it will fall into a deep sleep immediately," she continued to explain, as Killian closed up the bag and handed it back to her. She carefully strapped it back to her belt. "It was terrifying, not knowing if it would work. But everything turned out well."

She remembered that first night, sitting on the floor of her cabin; a small amount of the dust in the palms of her hands. One moment she'd reached the supposedly magical powder to her face, and the next thing she knew was that it was early morning, and she was still a princess. If she had changed during the night, she'd been too asleep to notice.

Killian seemed thoughtful, "Having that from the beginning would've saved us quite a few problems, huh?"

The comment had been a light-hearted one, yet Emma glared at him. She didn't need a reminder of what she had done.

"How's your chest?" Emma casually asked, hoping it wasn't too obvious she still felt quite guilty and upset about that.

"I'm better than ever, love," he smirked, "You'll have to try a bit harder if you really want to kill me."

Emma let out a snort, silently cursing that cocky smile of his. She'd missed it, being completely honest.

She didn't like to admit it, but she'd missed _him_ , actually.

As hours passed, their surroundings seemed lonelier, quieter. Most were returning to their homes already, back to their families. Emma could feel herself growing tired, yet as they finally managed to see the castle, not too far away from them, she felt slightly invigorated, excitement and maybe nerves kicking in as she realized it would all be over soon enough.

"We're getting close," Emma said, "Finally. My legs won't resist that much longer."

She heard the pirate chuckling.

"Aye," Killian said, giving her a smile; though said smile didn't actually reach his eyes. "Our journey is nearly over, lass."

The words slightly saddened her for some reason. What was going to happen once they arrived there? Would he really be taking her to see her parents? Or perhaps he would leave right away, to claim his reward.

"Just so you know," Emma told him, "Even though I left, I was still going to make sure you'd get your reward. So, technically you didn't really have to follow me."

"Aye," he replied, blue eyes staring into hers, "But I wanted to make sure you were safe."

"Right, because I need to be safe in order for you to get what you want," she said. She wanted to pretend this was the only reason he was looking after her, though the princess knew better than that.

"Swan–" he began, frowning slightly, just to be interrupted by another voice, a deep one:

"Halt!"

They both quickly turned to where the voice came from; and they saw a tall man, covered up from head to toes by an armor, approaching them.

"What are you folks doing, travelling through this road at these hours?" The man asked as he stopped right in front of them, voice muffled by his helmet.

Confused, Emma stared at him. What could this man possibly want? They hadn't been doing anything wrong, so why stop them?

"Ah, good evening, mate," Killian quickly stepped in, showing off his charming smile. "We're not from around here - we were actually headed off to find someplace to crash in for the night."

Despite that Killian's words came out of his mouth smoothly, the man apparently wasn't too happy with his response.

"Not from here, huh? What are you doing in these lands, then?"

"We're salesmen," Killian answered. The lie took her by surprise, yet she managed to keep a straight face on; and quickly enough, she understood what Killian was doing. He believed they shouldn't reveal who they really were to the man, and Emma could easily see why. They had no idea of what his intentions were, so telling him she was actually the lost, and very precious, princess didn't sound like the greatest of ideas.

Who was this man, really? Did he work for the king? He didn't have anything that could allow them to figure out who he was, or who he worked for. It was a bit intimidating; not being able to even see his face, to see his expression and try to at least read the man.

Even though she couldn't see his face, she figured out that the man was eyeing them both. Did they look like salesmen? She guessed not, and Emma's heart raced at the thought of him discovering the lie.

"What do you sell?" He inquired.

Killian hesitated for a second and, feeling her heart up in her throat, Emma quickly stepped in, exclaiming the first thing that popped into her head:

"Clothes! We sell clothes; dresses of all kinds," she told the man, hoping he'd buy the lie. She had fooled a pirate before, she could fool this man too, right? "Our first day around here, and we already sold all of them out. Who would've thought women around here had such a great taste in clothing!"

The man remained quiet for a few moments, "Alright. Be careful around here."

And with that, the man turned around, walking away from them. Killian and Emma remained there, quiet as they watched until the man was finally out of their sight.

"Put the hood on, love, just in case."

"Why?" Emma asked him, giving the pirate an odd look, still she did as she was told. She felt the soft fabric surrounding her head, covering her blonde locks.

"He was looking a lot at your way," Killian explained to her, as they reassumed their walk, "I didn't like it; it's easy to see you're not a normal lass."

What was this, him being careful because he had sensed some sort of danger? Or was this the pirate being jealous that someone stared too much at her?

"Oh, you're exaggerating, Hook," she replied, rolling her eyes, "I don't think he had any idea of who I was."

"Aye, because you're awfully good at lying," he told her, small smile showing at the corners of his lips, "You're a natural at deceiving, Swan."

"I think maybe we should actually find a place to rest in," Killian said, "It is getting late, and I doubt the King and Prince would be pleased to have their sleep interrupted by us arriving at such hours. We can continue tomorrow morning, we'll..." He trailed off, and Emma followed his gaze, head turning slightly to see what had caught Killian's eye.

Next to her had passed a couple of men; both of them wore a familiar sort of armor. The same the man from before had. Turning her gaze back to Killian, her eyes widened as she noticed that the man had tensed up, good hand resting on his sword; almost like we was already prepared for a fight to come any second now.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked in a hushed tone.

"There's something off, Swan," he replied, voice low as well.

"Wha-"

It all then happened quickly. Killian unsheathed his sword, raising it as he turned around; and it clashed against another armored man's sword. They began to fight; slashing at the other and ducking. Killian seemed to be completely focused on the fight, his movements graceful, showing he'd clearly had way too many years of practice.

Just as they fought, Emma saw the other two men hurrying up to them, swords in hand. "Killian..." she warned the pirate, taking a couple of steps back.

She heard a loud clash - Killian's hook had smashed hardly against the man's helmet, to then kick the man away - who fell to the floor, just in time so Killian could shift his focus on to the other two men.

She should be helping him! She still had Killian's knife, but it wouldn't be of any use against those swords. Yet, she decided, a knife was better than nothing; Emma reached to her belt, where the knife was, just to be interrupted by a couple of strong arms surrounding her, cold steel trying to keep her still as she fidgeted.

"KILLIAN!"

She could hear the fright in her own voice, and almost immediately Emma realized screaming was a terrible mistake. It distracted Killian, only for a brief second, but that was all it took for the two men to overpower him; one of them slamming his fist against the pirate's face.

* * *

 **A/N: I am not dead! Woo!**

 **You're all allowed to hate me for stopping to write this story for so long; I am not going to make any excuses up or anything. I wasn't feeling too good emotionally, so I stopped writing. But seeing that a couple of you were still waiting for me to update, wanting to know what would happen next with this story, gave me the courage to reassume my writing, so I am here and I promise I will do my best to be a better and _way more puntual_ author! Thank you so much to everyone who follows this story and that waited this much for me to update, it means a lot to me. **

**So, what did you all think about this chapter? Was it good? Bad? What do you think will happen next? :P Please tell me in the reviews! I love reading your opinions and ideas!**

 **I love you all, and see you soon :)**


	11. Chapter 10: Midnight

**Chapter 10. Midnight.**

There was a sharp ache in his jaw, he realized with a grunt, as he blinked a couple of times, waiting for his eyes to focus.

He felt slightly disoriented at first. Killian tried to move, yet he found himself struggling against a rope - it was wrapped around his torso, pressing him up against the trunk of a tree. He felt his arms were in an awkward position, and as he tried to move them as well, he realized they were tied up too, rope tightly surrounding his wrists.

As he became more aware of his surroundings, he noticed he no longer was on the road to the castle. He was back into the _bloody_ woods; no houses or castle to look at, just trees, a couple of tents right in front of him.

The events from the previous night slowly came to his head; he remembered the unknown man, the feeling that something just wasn't right. Then they were surrounded by strange, armored men - and thankfully his many years as a pirate had made him quite good at sensing danger. His fighting instincts were well developed, and his body reacted just in time, their swords clashing as the fight began.

Then, Emma called his name, warning him of others coming - they were surrounding them. There was no clue of who these men were, but it was clear this wasn't the typical case of thievery. Whomever these men were, it was clear what was it that they wanted - or rather, _who_.

Killian had been fast; with a quick and strong blow of his hook against the man's helmet, he became distracted enough so the pirate could gain advantage, kicking him off to the floor. Then, he faced the other men - two against one, but Killian could defend himself pretty well, ducking as they slashed at him, swinging his sword at them in response. They were good, but Killian wasn't afraid - he had faced bigger enemies, in worse circumstances. He could beat them easily.

And he had been about to hit one of them when he heard her.

 _KILLIAN!_

It was his name instead of the moniker, and every time he heard it fall from her lips it sounded like heaven to him; this time, however, it leaked fear. She was afraid and she was calling _him_ , calling his name - and he _had_ to protect her.

A basic rule in sword fighting: don't get distracted, and never get your eyes off of your opponent. He knew that very well, but with his heart dropping to his feet, that simple rule had slipped off his mind. _He couldn't let them hurt her._

"Emma!" he would've shouted back at her, as he was about to rush to help her - and gladly kill the man that had placed his hands on her. Yet he couldn't help her, and the word didn't even get to leave his lips.

A hand covered in steel collided with his face, and everything else was just a dark blur.

 _Emma!_ Where was she? Unconsciously, he tried to move despite knowing it was useless - and struggled against his bindings. Had they taken her away from him? No, the people that had caught them seemed to be resting, meaning she probably was somewhere around. He frantically looked around his surroundings, his eyes finally landing on a man, who was too entirely covered in an armor, except for the helmet, sitting right outside of one of the tents; his eyes locked on Killian.

He was watching over Killian, making sure he didn't try to escape.

"Where is she?" Killian quickly asked, loud enough so he would be heard by the man, yet knowing already he wouldn't get any useful information from him.

And indeed, the only response he got was an irritated exclaim of: "Shut your damn mouth, pirate!"

His first impulse would've been to snap something back at the man, but instead Killian just sighed with frustration. Truly, it seemed like he just couldn't get a bloody break. The last couple of days he'd had a gigantic beast trying to have him as supper, a princess rejecting his feelings and stealing from him, to then running away from him while he had to rush to catch up with her and find her.

And now, _this_.

His first heroic act in centuries, and it had brought him mostly trouble. Perhaps, this was the universe's way of saying he just wasn't meant to be a hero. Or, even more likely, some sort of punishment from the universe because the only reason he'd done this was a selfish one.

He hadn't wanted to be a hero, he hadn't wanted to save anyone - he had just wanted to kill the crocodile.

And perhaps, his true punishment was that now he cared, way too much.

All the trouble was worth it, and he would've liked to say it was getting his reward the thing that kept him going, that made it all worth it. But whenever something happened, the drowning worry he felt wasn't because he feared losing his chance to get one step closer to killing Rumplestilskin - it was because he feared losing her.

And as much as he hated admitting that he was drifting away from his selfish reasons - no, it wasn't his reward what made it worth it to go through all that trouble. It was her.

It was Emma.

He had to free himself quickly and find her. His eyes were already adjusting to the darkness of the forest; he had no idea of how long he'd been there, because of how dark it was, he guessed maybe a couple of hours. Still, it was getting late, and soon enough he -all of them- would be facing a greater problem. He had to find her, and get her out of there before midnight struck.

Killian blindly tried to touch around with his good hand, and he nearly had to suppress a scream of joy as he felt the cold hook still attached to his arm. They'd been stupid enough to not to take his hook off! It'd make escaping a way too easy task now.

He just needed the man to take his bloody eyes off of him.

It was a couple of minutes later that a man came out from the tent, and the one who had been watching over Killian turned his head, finally taking his eyes off the pirate.

"Where do you think you're going, Kingsley?" he asked with a scowl; definitely he didn't seem to be in a good mood.

"Checking on the girl," the man that had just arrived, Kingsley, replied. Killian's attention shot up as he was sure the man was referring to Emma. "It'll be quick, it's not like she can escape her cage."

Anger made his stomach turn slightly as he heard those words. They had her trapped in a cage, as if she were an animal. However, he decided to remain quiet, and since no one had their attention on him at the moment, he did his best to move his left arm; positioning his hook and starting to slightly move back and forth, brushing the tip of his hook against the rope, trying to keep his movements as subtle as possible.

"Are we sure this is the right girl?" Killian heard one of them speak, in a lower voice, probably because they didn't want him hearing.

"She fits with the descriptions that we were given," the other spoke in a hushed tone as well. "She told us we'd find the princess around these lands, with a pirate as company."

 _She, huh?_ Killian could already guess who that would be.

He kept on with his movements; he could hear the rope starting to rip, feel how the tightness around his wrists lessened.

"What about the pirate?" the man nodded at Killian's direction, with a frown, "I'm _tired_. Why do I have to keep an eye on him? She wanted the girl, he's no good for us. We could just get rid of him."

"You have to keep an eye on him because _I_ ordered you to do so. Do I really have to remind you _again_ about who's in charge here?" Kingsley's voice was stern. They remained quiet for a moment, before he added: "The queen ordered us to take both of them to her. Surely to make the poor bastard pay for trying to ruin her plans."

Yes! The rope was ripped and his arms were finally free, yet he maintained them in the same position as before, pretending to still be tied up.

"You know," Killian finally spoke, loud enough so both of them heard him. They turned their heads at the same time, placing their eyes on him. "I can hear you, _mates_."

Kingsley's eyes narrowed, and he looked at him up and down, to then speak after a brief moment, "Well, you should know then that nobody goes unharmed after provoking the queen's wrath. These surely are your last moments, pirate; enjoy them."

The man smirked at him, and all Killian wanted to do was stand up and dig his hook into the man's neck. Yet, all he was able to do was glare at him, as he began to walk off, until he was finally out of Killian's sight -he at least knew now where to go when he went to get Emma-.

It was alright though; he was getting out of there quick enough, and for sure the man would have that smirk wiped off his face as he realized he'd been dumb enough not to order his men to take Killian's most precious tool, the one he used as a hand.

 _So these are the Evil Queen's dark knights, huh_. Or, well, at least he supposed they were, since he'd expected them to be a little more... _dark_. They seemed quite normal, and they could easily pass as if they were part of the royal army of any kingdom. But then again, that made a lot of sense. He'd heard the stories; since the Queen had been defeated by Snow White many years ago, she'd disappeared for quite some time, and all of the kingdom had fallen into a great peace they hadn't felt since King Leopold had died. The Queen no longer had any power; not in Snow White's kingdom nor in any other. And with most kingdoms against her, it wasn't like her or her men could stroll around and wreak havoc as easily as they did before.

But now, looking like that her knights could easily fulfill the Queen's wishes, without no one suspecting of her.

Killian waited a couple of seconds, and then whistled to the knight. "Hey," Killian loudly called him, "Would you mind untying me to this tree, mate? It'll be just a couple of minutes."

The man snorted, "And why would I do that?"

Killian tried his best to shrug, yet the rope around him didn't really allow him to move that much. "When nature calls, you just have to listen."

He heard the man grunt, yet he rose up from his sitting position and, dragging his feet through the ground, he approached Killian. He then bent down and began to untie the knot that kept Killian against the tree.

"I'll keep a close eye on you. Don't you dare try anything funny," he spoke once the rope dropped to the floor, hand reaching to take Killian's arm roughly, wanting to pull him up to his feet.

Killian was fast, and quickly rose his hand, fist hitting the man's face with all of his force. "Really? Didn't anyone tell you not to trust a pirate?" Killian muttered, smirking as the man dropped down, unconscious.

He checked his own knuckles with a small grimace, the rough movement left them sore, yet he wore a satisfied look on his face. They had taken his sword, so he grabbed the one the knight carried with him. It wasn't as comfortable as his own was, but he couldn't waste any more time going to look for it. He had to get Emma.

He followed the path where he had seen the other knight go, stealthily going around the tent.

What he found was a carriage, completely still, with thick metal bars that probably kept the prisoners from escaping - and while he couldn't see her, he could see Kingsley leaning on to the bars, speaking to someone who had to clearly be the princess.

"How stupid do you think I am, girl?" he asked.

Killian took a couple of steps, slow and quiet, sneaking up behind the man.

"If you don't listen to me, well, then very stupid," Emma spoke. Her voice was loud and clear, and as Killian approached them, he noticed that despite the fact that she was sitting at the back of the carriage, away from the bars, hands hugging her knees; there was no glimpse of fear in her face. And that seemed to make the man uncomfortable. "You have to listen to me."

"The only people in danger around here are you, and that pirate boyfriend of yours. Just wait until you two meet the queen."

Killian nearly snorted at the 'pirate boyfriend' part - _nearly_. He approached the man, with a stealth worthy of any great thief. After all, while the pirates were the thieves of the sea, they could do pretty well in land as well. With another step, his eyes went for a brief moment to Emma, and their eyes locked; it was just a second, and Emma's face remained as still as ever, not showing whatever emotions she felt.

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but I wouldn't count on that."

He took it as the perfect moment to act, and tapped his fingers against the man's shoulder a couple of times, who quickly turned around just in time for Killian to crash his fist against his face.

The man tumbled down to the ground, unconscious. "Killian," the sound of her voice, filled with happiness and relief, made him look up, a grin appearing on his features. She had rushed towards him, hands gripping the bars tightly.

"Happy to see me, eh, love?" Killian spoke as he dropped down where the man was. If he was the one supposed to watch over her, then he probably held the keys. "Are you alright?"

"They didn't hurt me; right after you passed out they brought me here. They weren't as gentle as you would think someone would treat a princess, but I'm fine."

Killian frowned, looking up for a brief moment. "I'm sorry, love."

"What for?" Emma asked with eyebrows raised, surprise in her tone.

"My job is to protect you; I should've never let those rats get that close to you-" he spoke through gritted teeth. It had been his fault, he knew that. He should've been more careful, made sure she stayed safe above all things.

"You did your best," Emma quickly cut him off, "Also, you're rescuing me now... _again_. It looks like my debt with you only keeps on growing."

Snatching the key from the unconscious men, Killian got up on his feet and chuckled. "It looks so, indeed. Who would've known, you bring out the hero in me," he flashed a charming smile at her, taking a couple of steps towards the carriage, raising his hand to triumphantly show her the key. He inserted it in the lock, and with a quick twist, it opened. Opening the doors and taking a step back, he gave her a smirk. "Perhaps gratitude is in order now." Killian then pressed his fingers against his own lips, as he raised an eyebrow at her. He was teasing her; still, it was clear he wouldn't mind if the princess decided to indeed grant him a kiss.

Emma's eyebrows raised with surprise, face remaining unamused. "I don't believe this is the right moment to discuss about... _gratitude_."

Killian reached his hand to her, and she took it, soft skin against his rough one, as he helped her out of the carriage. "Aye, later then," Killian replied, wide smirk on his face.

Later, indeed. He wouldn't feel calm until they were out of those woods, away from the black knights. "Let's get out of here quickly, love."

He began to walk; however he was pushed back by Emma, who remained still. "Wait-" she spoke; their hands had stayed laced together, and she seemed to notice at the same time he did, dropping her hand out of his reach. "They grabbed my stuff, the knife you gave me and..."

"The powder." Killian completed with a sigh, knowing that Emma's urgent tone wouldn't be because of a missing knife. He frowned, and looked up to the sky - the moon was nowhere to be seen. He had no idea of how long they had left, there could be a couple of hours left till midnight, or a couple of minutes. And leaving without those powders was just too risky. They'd be risking the lives of everyone around Emma by the time midnight came.

"Okay," he muttered more to himself, as he came up with a plan. "Go hide there." Killian told her, pointing at the place where between the bushes and tall trees, it'd be easy for her to hide. "I'll go get your stuff. Don't leave until I'm back."

"No way, Hook, I'm going with you."

Her tone was a stern and confident one, and he knew it all too well already. The tone she used to let him know she wasn't giving up until she got her way. Yet this time he couldn't let her win. There was a chance that he might have to fight to get her stuff, and he wasn't going to let her get near to the knights again. She'd be a lot safer there, out of everyone's sight.

"Emma, I need you to stay here. The knights won't get to you, if you stay hidden. _Please_ ," he insisted. "It won't take me long."

Emma's lips pursed into a thin line, eyes filled with frustration and something else -fear, perhaps?-, and Killian waited for her to reply back, keep on insisting to go with him, yet all he got was a murmured: 'I'll be waiting for you', and with resignation, she turned around and got lost between the trees.

He looked at the direction she had went to, making sure truly she wasn't visible, and then turned back to the tents. He'd be quick, take her stuff and get back to her. While Killian wasn't going to let her be near the knights again, he still didn't like that much having her out of his sight. Besides, they didn't know when her curse's effects would kick in. The sooner they got out of there and had their ' _little problem_ ' under control, the better.

It didn't take him more than a pair of minutes to be back where he had woken up earlier that night; the knight was still there, on the ground, yet Killian froze in his place as his eyes landed on another knight, kneeling right next the unconscious figure. Killian's hand quickly reached to the sword he had taken earlier from the man watching over him, and as he unsheathed it the knight seemed to notice him, quickly getting up to his feet.

Killian didn't lose any time to start a fight; their swords clashed loudly for a couple of moments, until with a final blow, the knight collapsed to the floor, blood quickly pooling around him.

He stayed still, sword still in hand as he looked at his surroundings for a couple of seconds, careful to notice any sounds or movements that indicated him that there was some other knight around, ready to fight him. Yet, he seemed to be completely alone, and ducking slightly he stepped into the tent. It was big enough to hold a couple of cushions, and in one corner were their belongings. His sword, the knife he'd given to Emma, and the small bag. He quickly exchanged the sword he'd taken from one of the knights for his own, and then he picked up the bag and the knife, placing them in one of the pockets of his jacket.

As he left the tent, he stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes caught the blonde princess hovering over the two knights, one dead and the other unconscious.

"Swan!" she quickly turned around to face him, and part of him felt relief as he watched her face, knowing she was okay. Soon enough, though, his brow furrowed. She'd, once more, proved that she didn't care nor listen at all about anything he said to her. "What do you think you're doing here?"

Emma offered him an apologetic smile, "I was worried."

An eyebrow raised at her. He knew her well enough already; even if she had been worried about him -was it possible that she truly worried about him as much as he worried about her?-, Killian was pretty certain that wouldn't be the reason why she left her hiding place. Princess Emma was a stubborn lass, one that he was sure would not settle with just hiding while others fought for her.

"Did you get it?" Emma asked him, an anxious look on her face.

"Aye, love," he replied, right hand digging into his pocket to pull out both the knife and the bag. He handled them to her, and she with a soft 'thank you' she grabbed them, placing the knife on her belt. Then, she was just about to tie the bag's laces to the belt when a sound froze them up both.

Hooves.

Killian cursed under his breath. That could only mean there were more knights headed towards them, knowing they had escaped. He wrapped his hand around Emma's arm, pulling her gentle so they'd both be on their way.

They'd been running through the trees; the path they were taking was a narrow one, a sea of trees surrounding them. It should slow the knights down, since there was no room for any horses to go that way.

But still, he heard them get closer and closer.

There was no use in keep on running, the knights were right behind them, and soon they'd reach to them. Killian stopped, and Emma stopped a couple of feet in front of him, turning around to see him, a confused look on her face.

"Keep going. I'll keep them here."

He saw Emma's face change immediately, fear flashing in her widened eyes as she shook her head. "Are you insane?"

"Princess, for the first time just listen to me and _go_ ," Killian grunted, eyes focusing on the knights that were just approaching them. He unsheathed his sword, as he pulled her behind him with his left arm. "I'll catch up with you later."

He didn't have any more time to keep on arguing with the blonde - one of them was getting close, and Killian launched himself forward, slashing his sword at the knight. "Swan," he exclaimed through gritted teeth, feeling her presence still around. Still, he wasn't able to turn around and make sure Emma was doing as he told her to, as another knight joined the fight.

When the first couple of knights dropped to the floor, defeated, he was able to for a brief moment turn his head, not seeing the princess anywhere around. At last, she had listened to him.

Killian fought until there were only a couple of men left, and while he wasn't going to give up anytime soon, he did in fact begin to grow tired. One of them was easy to defeat; and Killian was left with the other knight, circling each other in defensive poses, prepared for any moves the other might throw. Killian was the first to try slash at him, and the knight avoided it. He was quick, and if Killian hadn't ducked he probably would've ended up headless. They fought for some moments, until Killian failed to foresee a kick that sent him right to the ground, his sword falling out of his reach.

He rolled his body to a side to avoid the knight's sword; and then his good hand reached out to try and take his sword back, yet he was distracted by the knight once again slashing at him, only to be stopped by the pirate's hook. With a grunt, Killian used all of his strength to keep the sword away from his throat, mind rushing to find a backup plan.

And suddenly, the knight stilled as a strangled cry left his throat, to then just drop to the ground, right next to him. With surprise Killian saw the knife buried in the back of his neck, and looking up he saw a blonde, with a terrified look on her face, as her green eyes were fixed on the man. The man she had just killed.

"Emma," he breathed out, surprise leaking out of his voice, "I told you to leave."

Her eyes finally landed on her, and she gave him a weak smile. "I never listen."

He took the knife out, blood gushing out of the man's neck. Cleaning it up against his shirt, he stood up and gave the knife to Emma. She still held in her left hand the bag that contained the sleeping powder and her right hand, the one she reached up to take the knife, was terribly shaking.

Emma placed it back into her belt, eyes looking up at him and while her face remained calmed, he just could see in her eyes that something was wrong.

While he'd spent the last century as a pirate, and killing wasn't something new to him, this surely was the first time Emma took a life. Or, at least, did so while being conscious. He knew how guilty she felt over all the people she had killed because of her curse, there was no doubt she'd feel guilty about this as well.

"Let's go."

"Emma, _it's okay_ ," he told her, hand reaching up to take her wrist. His thumb circled her skin, trying to bring her some comfort. "You're bloody amazing, Swan. You saved my life. _Thank you_. I guess I'm now the one who owes you some gratitude."

He raised an eyebrow at her, and he couldn't help but grin as a soft chuckle left her lips.

"Let's get going, Swan," he told her, raising his eyes to the trees behind her figure. "Who knows if there's more coming."

They rushed through the trees, and they did seem to have a nice chance to get away. He could hear more coming -or perhaps, he was just hearing the sound of himself and the princess running-.

He wasn't too sure of how long had they been running; perhaps just a couple of minutes. Emma ran right beside him; he could guess she was growing tired, her breathing becoming more and more irregular, yet it was clear she was doing her best to hide it - not even once she slowed down. It wasn't that much of a surprise to him; the lass always wanted to prove to be strong, even stronger than she actually was.

He stopped, reaching out his right arm to her, resting it against her stomach to stop her from going. "Shh," he stopped her right as she opened her mouth to protest. They remained quiet, Killian's eyes going through the trees that surrounded them. Quickly they heard it, the rushed footsteps of the knights following them - it was faint, they both had gotten far from them, but soon enough the knights would catch up and find them.

"Let's deviate," Killian told her, his hand reaching up to take hers, pulling her gently as he turned right. Not even a minute had passed by the time he heard her speak,

"Killian-" Emma began, and immediately he noticed something in her voice he couldn't quite decipher, yet he knew something was off.

It happened in the blink of an eye, as if within seconds Emma's body had just completely stopped working, and he had to rush to her and grab her before she fell to the ground.

"Emma!" he exclaimed, not even noticing he probably had been heard. He lowered himself, getting on his knees as he pulled her to his lap, panic invading him as he brought her close to him, hand placing her blonde hairs aside from her face. Her eyes were closed, mouth slightly open, and face awfully pale - almost immediately he felt his hand shaking and he struggled to breathe as his own mind betrayed him, and took him back to many years ago, when he found himself holding Milah's body close to him.

Only this time he held Emma; the blonde princess who he had only known for a little more than a week, yet that short amount of time with her had been all it took for him to feel _alive_. To make him consider for the first time since the loss of Milah that perhaps he could find another love.

 _Not again. Please._

He shook those thoughts away quickly - _she wasn't dead_. He could still hear her breathing; faint, but it was still there.

 _What happened?_

Killian's hand rested on her cheek, giving her a gentle shake. He didn't fail to notice that she was burning up. "Love, wake up," he whispered, voice sounding a little too desperate.

And then, he had to pull his hand away quickly because touching her _burned_ him. It felt like some sort of energy flowed right under her skin -he could even hear it, a faint buzz-, too strong for him to touch, making him have to pull away from her, leaving her on the ground as he stood up, taking a couple of steps back as he understood.

 _Magic._

And then, just like that, black smoke surrounds her body.

And two huge and terrible eyes, of a green color, open up to stare at him.

And while he isn't scared of Emma, not really; his body on its own does seem to notice the danger. He felt his heart rushing as adrenaline rushed through his veins; body prepared to either flee or fight. But he is well aware that he can't leave her. And he can't fight either, not against _her_.

Just like the first time he'd seen her in this form, the only source of light he had was the moonlight, yet this time Killian was more aware of his surroundings than that night - and now he could really see how terrible the beast actually was. About seven feet tall, black fur covered most of its body, making it slightly hard to make out between all the darkness.

The most disturbing thing wasn't the long, sharp claws, or the pointy teeth. No, the most disturbing thing for him were its eyes -

So green and familiar.

 _Emma._

The beast took one step towards him, and Killian knew he should probably run, yet the large creature seemed to have something else catching its eye. Its large head turned quickly to a side, and Killian immediately followed the direction of its gaze.

The knights.

And within seconds, the beast leaped towards them. Killian found himself frozen in his place, unable to move as the beast bared its teeth to the small group of men that had finally found them.

And then, desperate screams came. Killian was used to death, most times it didn't bother him at all, yet this... it was horrible. And while he in any other circumstances he would have honestly been glad to see those men wiped off of this world, he couldn't help but pity them. The gigantic animal dug its teeth onto each of them, tearing them part by part.

And then the screams stopped. The beast remained there, hovering over the bodies for a couple of seconds, as Killian heard it _sniffing_.

Checking if there were any knights around left to eat.

There were probably none, because not too long later it turned around to look at him. He was the dessert, apparently.

The beast showed off its teeth as it approached him. It could take his head off with just a single bite. He couldn't help but take a step back.

What could he do now? He wasn't going to hurt her - not only it would be pointless to fight, but this was Emma. He could never do something to hurt her.

 _How romantic_ , he couldn't help but think with sarcasm. He was about to die in the hands -or paws? - of the woman he fancied.

Well, he had always said love was something worth dying for, hadn't he?

He only wished he could've gotten more time with her, figure out what his feelings truly meant, and if perhaps she deep down felt the same way.

For the second time, he stared into the beast's green eyes. Only this time, he was very aware why they were so familiar to him.

Emma.

The beast was too close to him, ready to attack. One more step, and it would be his end.

 _Emma._

His eyes suddenly widened as the thought struck him; he'd survived against the beast once. For some reason, it had stopped from attacking him.

And he perfectly knew why.

Deep down, this was still Emma.

"Swan," he called her, hesitant yet loud enough for her to hear. " _Emma._ "

The beast growled, yet she stopped right where she was, not taking any more steps.

"It's me, Emma," Killian told her, heart pounding yet he felt slightly relieved. He had no idea if she understood him, but it seemed to be having some effect on her. She had stopped, at least.

"You're not going to hurt me, Swan," he spoke, a bit more confident; and he took one quick step back as she growled at him.

He felt one of his feet stumbling into something. He slightly lowered his head, trying to see what it was without fully turning his attention away from the beast.

Squinting, he finally realized what it was - a small bag.

The powder!

Emma had had the bag in one of her hands by the moment she passed out. She probably had dropped it, and now he could take them, make her fall into a deep sleep until morning came.

Not taking his eyes off the beast, Killian began to lower himself. "Easy, love," he spoke, as the beast seemed to be about to take a step forward. "This isn't you. Remember who you are, Emma."

He crouched, right hand blindly going through the ground as he wouldn't take his eyes off her, and stopped when he felt the soft fabric.

It seemed like indeed she understood him. She remained still, looking at him furiously, yet she didn't seem to have the intention of hurting him.

It almost seemed as if she was waiting for him to do it. To make her fall asleep.

Allowing himself to lower his eyes to the bag, he used both his hook and hand to open it, and then took a handful of powder.

Rising slowly, he faced the beast. She didn't growl, or try to attack him - she just stared.

And then he threw the powder at her; and just like that, the huge beast collapsed to the floor.

He remained still for a couple of seconds, heart still rushing as his eyes roamed the sleeping figure - she was even _snoring_.

Relief began to flow through his body, and it didn't take him long for him to fall down to the floor as well, not too far from the sleeping beast, a hand running through his hair.

 _Bloody hell._

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you all! Last chapter had a HUGE response, I was so excited reading all of your comments ahh! Also, thank you very much to all of you who said they were happy I was feeling better, it truly means a lot to me 3 So, this was a big chapter, huh? A lot of action, lol. Don't worry, my loves, those two will FINALLY get a break soon enough! Their little adventure is coming to an end, yet that doesn't mean this story is ending anytime soon! We're only halfway through, there's still I believe about 9-10 chapters left.**

 **So, what do you guys think? Tell me in the reviews! And see you next chapter :)**


	12. Chapter 11: The Castle

**Chapter 11. The Castle.**

Her dreams were filled with screams.

Ear-shattering screams, filled with agony, yet she didn't care. _She enjoyed them_.

Her dreams were filled with blood.

Thick, warm blood, splattering everywhere, all around her. She could feel it down her throat.

And when it's all over, when the people stop screaming and the blood stops running, all she could really think of is how she wanted _more_.

That's when she saw him, eyes wide with horror, right in front of her. She grinned at him, showing off all of her big, sharp teeth. _Dessert._

" _Swan. Emma._ "

The words made her stop. She heard him pronounce them, and while she didn't understand, they made her hesitate. They were faintly familiar, as if they were words she'd heard once in a dream. As if they meant something, something important.

Something she had forgotten.

Still; she angrily growled at him. This isn't the moment to hesitate; she's hungry, and nothing's supposed to distract her from getting what she wanted.

" _It's me, Emma._ "

 _Emma?_

Then, the dream changed entirely.

Opening her eyes, she found herself staring at the sky, dark and filled with stars. She was lying on the grass, and the smell of leather and rum reached her nose as she realized that strong arms were wrapped around her.

The person holding her was talking; about ships and the sea, and places she's never heard of. And for some reason, she couldn't help but sigh with relief, because she finally felt _safe_.

She only noticed he had stopped talking, and silence had surrounded them, as she felt a hand reaching up to her cheek, caressing it gently.

She wanted to lean into the touch; it was too warm, too _real_.

"Emma..."

She raised her head up slightly, looking up to find bright blue eyes, and white teeth being showed in a wide grin.

 _Emma_ , she repeated inside her head. _That's my name._

Her eyes widened slightly at the realization, and she saw the man raise an eyebrow at her.

Her heart skipped a beat. Killian.

"Love?"

 _Killian._

"Wake up."

That's when Emma felt a slight shake, making her eyes flutter open.

She noticed green grass right under her, trees right in front of her as she blinked a couple of times. And as she turned her head slightly she found blue eyes staring at her. The lines in Killian's forehead were deepened with worry; he seemed to be tired, dark circles under his eyes.

"Killian?" She mumbled, turning around slightly, slowly getting up into a sitting position.

"Emma," Killian spoke softly, and Emma felt a pang of surprise at how he pronounced her name, how he breathed it out with relief. He quickly recovered, flashing her his usual charming and relaxed smile. She noticed, however, how it didn't reach his eyes. "Morning, love."

Morning, huh? How long had she been sleeping?

"What time is it?" She wondered, words being quickly followed by a yawn.

"A little past dawn. Sorry for waking you up this early, love; I wanted to make sure you were... alright." He told her, rising up to his feet, and offering her a hand to help her up as well.

Alright? Why did he feel like he had to make sure she was fine? What had happened?

Emma frowned, yet took his hand, letting it go as soon as she found herself standing.

Killian soon enough noticed her confused look, realizing she still hadn't understood quite well what was happening. Hesitating for a brief moment, he added: "You just changed back."

Another yawn tore out of her mouth as she rubbed her eyes, "Changed back?" She repeated with confusion.

It took her less than a couple of seconds to understand he was speaking of her curse. And then she froze, hands stilling right over her eyes, as she felt all of her air escaping her lungs.

She remembered her dream; screams and blood, and Killian. But now it didn't sound too much like a dream to her.

It was a memory.

"Love?" Emma heard him call her; her hands remained in her eyes, and even though she couldn't see him, she could hear the worry in his voice.

"No – no, no, no," she felt herself shaking, as she realized what she had done, and for a moment she feared her legs might give up on her.

Almost immediately she felt Killian closer to her, hand on one of her arms, steadying her and, as his thumb caressed the bare skin, trying to comfort her. "Easy, love."

She had killed, had _massacred_ those knights.

Of course, they would've handed her back to Regina as soon as they got their hands on her. They weren't good people, they weren't someone whose death she'd mourn. But she had ended their lives, mercilessly, in the most awful way.

She had, once again, lost control of herself, and she hated it.

There were hot tears forming at Emma's eyes, and she took a deep breath. She shouldn't be crying, not in front of him. "It's fine. I'm fine," she told him, and wished her voice to be less shaky and her words to be more convincing.

She wished Killian would just pretend like he believed her.

But of course he wouldn't.

"Swan," he began, and Emma felt his hand now up in her hair, pushing a couple of strands back. "Emma, love, look at me. What happened back there wasn't your fault."

"Of course it was!" Emma spit out, hands dropping and eyes laying on his blue ones, filled with worry. She knew Killian meant to comfort him, yet for some reason his words only made her angry. She continued, trying to keep her voice steady as she did her best to keep the tears from spilling, "I killed all of them because I was weak, because I couldn't control myself!"

Killian seemed to be taken aback by her sudden outburst, brows furrowing deeply. "You're wrong about that, Swan. You're the toughest lass I've encountered."

Emma wished she could find something in his tone that told her he was lying, that he was saying it out of pity, only to make it all better.

She remembered vaguely her mother telling her that a princess always had to be strong; know what was best for herself while at the same time do right by her people.

She'd always wanted to be that. Strong. But of course she wasn't; she couldn't even trust herself. She couldn't keep anyone safe, not as long as she was around.

"Your curse isn't something you can control, love. It's supposed to make you deadly," she heard him continue on speaking, "You spared my life, Swan, for the second time. If that isn't strength, then I don't know what it is."

Her memories from the night were confusing; blurry like a dream. She remembered him calling her name.

She remembered stopping; knowing that deep down _she knew him_.

And in that brief moment of realization, she also understood who she actually was. A princess, trapped.

And Killian... She couldn't lose him.

Had that been strength? Sparing one life out of many others?

"Stop..." She began, taking a deep breath, "Stop acting like you have any idea of what I'm going through." Emma snapped at him, "You don't know what it's like not having any control of your body, of what you do or what you think. There's no strength in that; you might be okay, but I still took lives. I remember... I remember _enjoying it_. You have no idea of what's it like to live with that burden!" She rose her voice slightly, hoarse as a couple of tears slipped down her cheeks.

Quickly she turned her head away from him, hand reaching up to wipe the tears away from her cheeks. It took her by surprise feeling Killian's arms gently wrapping around her, pulling her close to him. She wanted to pull away from him; but maybe he was too strong, or maybe her will was too weak right then and there.

Emma allowed herself to be comforted by his strong yet gentle grip; for some reason it made her feel safe and there, face hidden from his eyes, she allowed some of her tears to freely run, letting all of the anger and guilt she'd been keeping in for so many years out.

They stayed like that for minutes, in complete silence; she could feel his lips pressing against her hair, as she breathed in his scent.

She could've lost him, she realized. She had wanted to kill him, just as she had done with the guards; and she couldn't help but feel her heart ache at the thought.

It was one thing to kill someone you didn't know; the guilt ate her alive, filled every inch of her body and _never_ allowed her to be fully at peace. But she could move on, try her best to ignore the feeling and keep going.

Emma knew she wouldn't be able to keep going if she lost Killian because of her curse.

It was a relief he'd remained unscratched after facing her for the second time, but she couldn't just keep on risking his life over and over again.

"I wish this would just be over soon," she muttered against his chest.

"It will, love. I'll make sure of it," he spoke, and she could feel his breath against her hair.

And just like that, the spell was broken. The calm around them disappeared. Because she was certain that the meaning behind his words weren't ' _I'll make sure you get to your prince, so you can break your curse_ '.

No, of course that wasn't what he really meant.

"Don't do that," Emma snapped, taking a couple of steps back, pulling away from his grip.

There was a surprised look on Killian's face. "What?"

"This is you again thinking you might be the one to break my curse, isn't it?" Emma asked, "I think we had already established that's not going to happen."

"No - _you_ are the one who keeps on trying to tell herself that, but deep down, love, we both know you're just holding back from what you're really feeling." Killian's voice was low yet certain, lips slightly curving upwards, and she felt herself growing angry at the man.

Who was he to say he knew how she felt? Being completely honest, not even she knew how she really felt. There was some slight attraction, maybe, but _that was it_. Her curse was not going to be broken by just mere attraction between a pirate and a princess - in what world could something like that work out?

"Also," he added, "I do believe we had agreed that you were to show me some gratitude, lass."

He showed her that stupid smirk of his; and he was using that tone of his that indicated he wasn't being serious, but still she could feel his words riling her up. Oh, how she wanted to wipe that smirk -that stupid smirk that made him look so impossibly handsome- off of his face.

The idea came to her suddenly - what better way to prove him wrong than actually giving him what he wanted, showing him like that whatever feelings flowed between the two of them, love wasn't one of them.

He wanted a kiss? Well, that was just what she was going to give him.

Taking a couple of quick steps towards him, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and in a rough movement, Emma pulled him close to her, lips pressing against his.

She felt him still for just a second, maybe too impressed to react, yet quickly enough she heard a grunt come out of his mouth as his lips began to move - and she wanted to say it didn't affect her, ignore the unfamiliar feeling of desire that roamed through her body, as she felt his hook pressed against her hip, pulling her even closer to him.

Truth was, Emma had no idea of what she was doing - and honestly, she'd never imagined her first real kiss to be like this. It was filled with passion, and it just felt good, making her body seem to act on its own, lips finding a good rhythm against Killian's.

Her hands wrapped around his neck at the same time his hand tangled up in her hair, both drawing each other as close as it was physically possible. The fact she was kissing him to prove there was nothing between them just slipped off of her mind, getting caught up in all the feelings, the sounds - getting caught up in _him_.

They kissed until she ran out of breath, having to pull away from him. She hated the fact that she actually didn't want to pull away.

Her breathing was irregular, and so was her heartbeat - and she hoped it was only because she the passion of the kisses had made her flustered. She felt Killian's forehead against hers; his warm, heavy breathing on her face - and her mind betrayed her, thinking he was too close, she could close the gap between them effortlessly, press their lips together and start all over.

But no. She'd done this to prove him wrong, nothing else.

And she had succeeded, didn't she? The kiss had been passionate, better than she would've imagined, and while her body still tingled with the memory of Killian's hands and body pressed to hers, that had been it. There had been no sign of the most powerful magic in the world; meaning right then and there, no curse had been broken.

She felt Killian slow pull away from her, her eyes quickly opening at the loss of his touch. There was a mixture of confusion and awe in his face, eyes roaming carefully through all of her features.

He was trying to find a sign that told him it worked.

"See," It took her a couple of moments to finally find her voice, and she wished it didn't sound so hoarse and breathless, "I told you it wouldn't work."

While he was probably trying to not let it show, Emma was quick to notice as disappointment flashed around his features, and she turned her face to the trees, hoping she could just ignore what had just happened.

She also wished her heart would stop hammering against her rib cage.

"We should get going," she finally spoke after some moments of silence.

"Are you sure that's what you want, love?"

His voice was hesitant, and she had to take a deep breath. Her lips still tasted like him.

"We can't keep on wasting time, let's go."

* * *

"Wasn't this what you wanted, Swan?" Killian asked in a slight mocking tone, eyeing the girl as she paced, the sound of her boots against the stone floor echoing through the room.

Emma looked around nervously, before setting her eyes on him, annoyed look on her face. "Don't be ridiculous, Hook, of course I am. I just -" she began, sighing before adding quickly in a hushed tone, like it hurt her to pronounce the words: "I'm a little nervous, I guess."

In any other situation he would've laughed, finding it endearing how the woman failed to hide her nerves - but now as much as he wanted to shake it off, he couldn't help but frown at her. What was it that made her nervous? Meeting her prince, at last?

They'd arrived to the castle less than maybe fifteen minutes ago, one of the guards taking them to the room they were currently in - large and elegant, two thrones at the end of it, meant for the King and Queen -only King, actually, since he was pretty certain he'd heard that the Queen had passed many years ago-. They had been told to stay there, as the guard who had taken there went to inform the King about their presence.

"Nervous about what, lass?" He inquired with a raise of one of his eyebrows. He heard her sigh.

"I'm not sure if I can do this," she pointed at her surroundings, and groaned at Killian's confused look, "I don't know if for how long I'll be able to put up an act for these people; they'll expect me to be a princess... but I'm not, I haven't been one for twenty years."

He nearly rolled his eyes at her.

"Love," he told her, "You are a princess. It's in your blood, anyone can see you're no common lass. Just be yourself, Swan, and you'll be fine."

He saw her inhale deeply, the worried look on her face fading as she showed him a small smile. "Thank you."

The sound of doors opening made them both switch their focus to the small, dark-haired woman who had opened them. She gave them a small curtsy, stepping aside to allow the man right behind her step into the room.

He was tall, slightly overweight, and his black beard and hair began to show quite a few of grey hairs.

And right on top of his head, a crown that indicated he was none other than the King.

"Your majesty," Killian curtsied as the man approached them. He'd been a couple of times in front of royalty, and while he hated the formalities that came with dealing with such people, he knew very well how to act being in front of a king. Killian's eyes briefly laid on Emma, who had remained still for a short second; her eyes met his and she seemed to understand, quickly following his lead.

"Princess Emma," the King bowed as well as he stopped right in front of the princess, grabbing her hand and pressing his lips against her fingers. "I'm King Edgar. My heart is filled with joy to have you finally here. I can assure you we'll make sure you find this place comfortable enough to, maybe soon, call it a home."

There was a sudden feeling of jealousy going through his body - he was very well aware what was it that the King was implying.

"Thank you, your majesty, you..." Emma replied, and Killian could see despite the effort she made to remain calmed, that the entire situation was overwhelming her. "You are very kind."

He gave her a gentle nod, before shifting his attention to Killian, "And you must be the brave gentleman who rescued her."

"Indeed, your majesty," Killian gave him a curt nod, to then introduce himself: "Killian Jones."

The king eyed him up and down, before giving him a nod and turning to Emma, "This man treat you well, princess?"

He managed to keep his expression still and not to frown.

 _If I treated her well?! I'd bloody kill anyone who tried to lay their fingers on her, do you think I'd hurt her?!_

But then, of course, all about his appearance screamed pirate; and it was well known most royalties weren't too keen in trusting people like him.

Killian's eyes quickly shifted to Emma, to see her face breaking into a shy grin, and Killian was pretty sure he saw some amusement in her features. "He's taken good care of me; saved my life more than once already."

The king smiled.

"Yes, you two look like you've had quite the journey. I expect you to fill us in with all of the details tonight - Prince Robert is out riding right now, you shall meet him during dinner."

His head then turned to the doors, where the woman that had entered the room along with him still waited. "Elizabeth!" The king called, and she rushed up to them, "Please, take the princess and our guest to their respective chambers. I suppose they'd like to rest a little after all that traveling."

"Thank you," Killian nodded at the older man. While he wasn't looking forward to stay that much in the castle, since he'd very much prefer resting back in the Jolly Roger, he was exhausted, and the opportunity of taking a bath and laying down for a couple of hours was just too tempting.

"See you later tonight, your majesty," Emma spoke to the king, before both of them followed the handmaiden out of the room.

She led them up a couple of stairs and then through a hall; Emma and Killian walked right behind them, and he raised an eyebrow at the blonde, asking her a silent question when their eyes locked. _What do you think about what might be your new life now?_

She seemed slightly tense, and shrugged at him in response. He guessed she wanted to speak to him, just not in front of the woman who accompanied them.

"You'll be staying here, sir," the handmaiden stopped in front of one of the doors, turning around to face them.

"Thank you, ma'am," he addressed the smaller woman, whose cheeks darkened slightly and gave him a soft nod. Then he turned to Emma, giving her a small curtsy, smirk on his lips. "See you later, princess."

"See you tonight, Hook," Emma replied, eyes rolling at the pirate, yet he was able to see how her lips curved into an amused smile right before her and the woman reassumed their walk, just as Killian closed the door behind himself.

The room was very neat and impersonal, probably a room for guests that hadn't been used in quite some time. He found a large bed with red sheets in the middle of the room and, taking his coat off, he threw himself on to the bed with a sigh. The bed was incredibly soft; and while he wanted to get up and take a long bath, he found himself unable to move, eyes closing because he was just so tired. He had stayed up the previous night; making sure they didn't get any other unwanted visits from the Evil Queen's knights, while also watching over Emma, still not too sure if he trusted that the magic from the powders would keep Emma asleep until dawn.

He let out a groan. Emma. The last few days had been quite eventful, and he honestly wasn't sure of what to make out of it all.

Emma. The beast. The King. The Prince. His revenge.

Emma.

What was he going to do about her?

Emma.

The kiss. His feelings about her were true, he knew that. And when she surprised him by pressing her lips against him, he'd thought she finally accepted she felt the same way.

But Emma made it clear that it hadn't worked; that it just hadn't meant anything.

He groaned. Maybe he had to forget about her.

But it was hard to do that when he could still feel her lips against his, their bodies pressed up together, her hands around his neck.

And with those thoughts roaming around his head, Killian finally gave in to sleep.

"Sir? Sir!"

The female voice, followed by a couple of knocks, dragged him away from his sleep.

"Sir?"

"What?" he mumbled into the pillows. He let out a groan, rising up since he noticed he hadn't been heard, "What?!"

"Sir, you are to go downstairs to dinner in fifteen minutes."

Killian cursed under his breath. "Alright, thank you,"

He wished he could have dinner in his chambers, just like he usually did in the Jolly Roger. Eating peacefully, not having to put up with any unwanted company, like the King and Prince. Still, he knew better than to refuse having dinner with royalty, plus he definitely didn't want to leave Emma alone.

By the moment he'd finally went downstairs, being led by Elizabeth, the handmaiden, to the dining room, he found Emma was already on the table. She looked beautiful, of course; rested and with a soft pink dress.

However his attention didn't linger too long on Emma; eyes focusing on the man right beside her. He was well-built and of dark brown hair; and he was speaking to Emma, with such ease, like they'd known each other for years already.

He felt a pang of jealousy, and clenched his jaw.

"Your highness," he spoke, green and brown eyes landing on him as he gave the man a curt nod.

Quickly the prince stood up, offering his hand. "Robert will do," he said, with a polite smile, "You must be the pirate that rescued the princess."

Killian shook his hand, forcing his best smile to appear on his features, "Killian Jones."

The prince sat down, and Killian did so as well, sitting on the chair in front of them.

Soon enough the King joined them, sitting at the head of the table, and they began to eat.

It didn't take them long to start asking questions.

"So, captain, aren't you telling us about how you defeated that beast?" Prince Robert asked, eyebrows raised at him.

Killian felt Emma's eyes on him, a glimpse of alarm on her features only he would understand. She didn't want him to tell them about it.

He took a quick sip of the glass of wine he had in front of himself, before speaking, "I didn't." Killian said with a shrug, noticing the curiosity filled looks they were giving him. "I was a lucky man, facing said creature would mean a certain death to anyone. I found a different path into the tower, one that allowed me to get to the princess, without having to face the wrath of the beast that guarded her."

Emma smiled softly at him, and he understood it was a silent ' _thank you'_.

The rest of the meal was filled with both him and Emma sharing some of the details about their adventure. Actually, there were quite a lot of omitted details, clearly there were a couple of things neither Emma or Killian wanted the King and Prince to know.

"Well, it's no wonder then that it took you so long," the king commented once they had finished with the story, as he took another bite of his meal, "We honestly weren't expecting you; after hearing the princess was rescued, and seeing time passed and there was no word about what had happened to you, Emma, we began to fear something bad might've happened, or maybe after so many days we believed the princess was off to some other kingdom."

Emma's eyes laid on the King, eyebrows raised with surprise. "You heard I was gone?"

"Your mother sent us a message," he replied with a shrug, "She announced that someone had rescued you, and inquired to all kingdoms if they had any idea about your whereabouts."

"My... my mother? How would she have known that?"

"Ah, I've spoken to her quite a couple of times; she's a lovely woman." The king told her, "Lovely, but fierce and determinate. The Evil Queen might've made it impossible for her and the King to go find you, but as you see that didn't stop her from keeping a close eye on you somehow."

Emma opened her mouth, then closed it once again, focusing entirely on her food. Killian felt his heart ache slightly; he knew her too well already. She was trying to seem strong, but he saw right through her, saw all the emotions she was trying to hold back – confusion and sadness and longing for her family.

"What do you mean she made it impossible for them?" Killian asked with curiosity.

"I believe the Evil Queen used some of her magic to keep the King and Queen away from the tower."

"Will they be paying us a visit anytime soon?" Emma spoke once again, lips pursing into a thin line. "I mean, my parents."

"I don't think so, but don't worry, your highness," The King replied, "We'll take you to them soon enough."

"Speaking about that," Killian spoke, noticing it was the perfect moment to speak to them about why he truly had gone through all of the trouble of going to rescue a princess, "If you don't mind, I'd like to take the princess to her parents."

"What?" Prince Robert quickly stepped, eyes wide in surprise staring at him.

Killian did his best to ignore him, "As a reward for rescuing her. That's all I ask," he explained. "The ship I captain is the fastest you'll ever see. I can take her to them in record time."

"Reward, you say?" The king asked, surprise also plastered over his features. "We offered enough gold to live a good life to anyone who rescued her. Is that truly what you want?"

 _What I truly want, huh?_

His eyes immediately went to Emma. She was looking down at her hands, clearly avoiding looking at him. Her jaw was slightly clenched, in what could've been anger or perhaps disappointment. Once again, an open book. And he wanted to reassure her that she was more than that, she had become more than just the means to getting his reward. She had become much more.

 _What do I_ ** _truly_** _want?_

His eyes shifted to the man next to Emma, and he knew his response.

The princess had made her choice, it was time for him to make his.

This isn't about Emma. It never was.

It was about him finally getting his revenge on Rumplestilskin.

"Yes. I have some matters to discuss with the King and Queen of Misthaven, and taking their daughter to them will do me good in getting what I want." Killian spoke, "I do, however, would like to ask for a fine horse, so I can ride back to my ship tomorrow morning."

"That's rubbish, you can stay a couple of days," the king said, "We'd very much like you to attend the ball."

King Edgar laughed, "That's rubbish! Why leave so soon? Stay for a couple more days," he spoke, "After all, we'd very much like you to attend the ball."

"Ball?" Emma's eyebrows raised.

Killian did his best to try to ignore how the Prince leaned towards Emma as he spoke, "My father loves balls, my princess. He's always looking for any excuses to throw one."

"Well, we have to celebrate the arrival of the princess, don't we?" the King said.

 _Of course you have to celebrate_ , Killian bitterly thought. They'd be getting rich from saving the princess from her curse.

 _If they succeeded._

"I believe she and our captain deserve to have some time to relax and have fun after all the trouble they've been through!" The king continued, "We shall have it as soon as possible, I'll have the invitations sent tomorrow morning, and we can call one of our fastest tailors so they can start working on a dress for you, princess."

"Thank you, your highness," Emma gave him a soft smile, rising slowly from the table. "If you'll excuse me, tomorrow sounds like a quite busy day, and I'm quite tired."

"We can call a handmaiden to take you to your chambers…" The prince spoke.

"It's fine," Emma replied with a soft shake of her head. "I can walk to my room on my own."

"I'll accompany her," Killian said as he too stood up, "I'm exhausted as well."

After saying goodbye to the royalties, they both walked out of the room, and up the stairs. They remained in silence as they walked, stopping in front of the door Killian guessed led to Emma's room.

She opened it and began to step in, turning around to give him a faint smile, "Goodnight, Hook."

"What, you're not going to invite me in?" Killian raised an eyebrow at her.

"I don't think it's proper for a princess to allow pirates into her chambers." Emma replied her smile widening slightly, yet stepped aside, and allowing him inside the room.

His eyes roamed around the room, it looked very much like his, to then stop at the blonde's figure. "So, you're not going to tell them?"

Emma seemed surprised at his question, and bit down on her lower lip, uncertain, "I don't know."

Killian rolled his eyes, taking a couple of steps to approach the bed, and sat down. "Trust me, Swan, I doubt you're going to find true love being so dishonest." He told her, the words leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

Emma gave him an exasperated look, "That's none of your business, Killian," she spoke, sitting down on the bed too, leaving some distance between the two of them.

Of course it's my bloody business, Swan.

He looked away from the blonde, sigh escaping his lips. This woman was bloody frustrating.

Killian felt the bed shake beneath him, and turning his head towards Emma, he found her lying on the bed, eyes closed. For a brief moment he panicked, thinking perhaps it was midnight already, and she had passed out like she had the previous night; however, after a few moments she spoke:

"How did you find that window?"

"Huh?" Killian looked at her with surprise, though the woman remained with her eyes closed.

"You said during the dinner you found a different path. The window," Emma asked, "You were the only one to realize it was there."

"A bird," he smiled, "A bird was standing right by that window - I was trying to get a drink, and it was being obnoxiously loud. If it weren't for that bird, you might still be in that tower. That, or I could've found the door to your tower, only to die in the hands on your not-so-lovely side."

Emma chuckled. "My not-so-lovely side?" She repeated, green eyes opening and locking into his.

"Don't misunderstand me, love," he replied, "I think all sides of you are lovely - I just like you better when you're not constantly trying to kill me."

She rolled her eyes at him, "Right."

They remained quiet for a few moments, until she spoke again: "Do you really think my parents were watching over me?"

He could sense the uncertainty in her voice. "I don't know, love," Killian replied, "From what I've heard, they've done all they possibly could to have you back with them. It's not hard to believe they found a way to keep an eye on you."

"I wish they would've given me some kind of sign." Emma sighed.

Killian stared at her as she suddenly rose to her feet, only to lie down on the floor.

"What are you doing, Swan?" He asked her, standing up from the bed.

The blonde showed him the now familiar small bag she held in her hands.

"It's time for me to sleep," she told him. "I'm not sure if the bed will be able to hold my weight, so I'd rather not take any chances."

He nodded at her, leaning over the bed to grab one of the pillows, to then take a couple of steps towards her, sitting down on the floor right next to her.

"Lay down, love," Killian said, giving her the pillow.

"Thank you," Emma gave him a soft smile, placing the pillow behind herself, on the floor, and then carefully laid down, head resting on it.

She handed him the bag filled with powders, and Killian quickly took a handful.

"Goodnight, Killian."

He gave her a smile, "'Night, love."

As soon as the powder reached her face, Emma's eyes closed and her breathing slowed.

She was in a deep sleep, and he couldn't help but stare for a couple of moments, her face seemed completely at peace.

He stood up and approached the bed, leaving the small bag in one of the nightstands, to then take one of the sheets out of the bed.

Going back to Emma, he kneeled next to her, placing the sheet right on top of her.

Bloody hell, what was this woman doing to him?

Giving her one last look, his hand reached up to gently place a couple of blonde locks behind her ear and away from her face, to then stand up.

"Sweet dreams, Swan."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, another interesting chapter, huh? We got yet another kiss that didn't work, urgh! A couple of chapters ago I got a lovely reviewer asking why their first kiss didn't work, so I wanted to wait until now that we have another unsuccessful kiss to explain:**

 **While both Killian and Emma clearly have feelings for each other, Emma, as usual, has a hard time admitting it. And, at least in this story, for the true love's kiss to work both parties should (obviously) feel love towards the other, and embrace said love. The moment Emma stops being her usual, stubborn self and finally realizes that she has fallen in love with the devilishly handsome pirate and embraces those feelings, that's when true love's kiss might work! Let's just hope she realizes that before it's too late :P**

 **Also, another amazing reviewer asked if Regina will be making an appearance in this story, to which all I have to say is: _maybe_ ;) You'll have to wait and see, haha!**

 **Anyway, again thanks all of you for the AMAZING reviews you've been leaving! It makes me incredibly happy to get such a great response and read all of your thoughts. Speaking of thoughts, I'm curious - how do you guys think Snow and David managed to keep an eye on Emma while she was locked up? Tell me in your reviews, as well as your thoughts on this chapter! :)**

 **Well, this A/N is getting a bit too long, so I say goodbye now! Have a great day, and see you next chapter!**


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